MUMBAI INDIANS are back with a bang in IPL 2025

The Indian Premier League is peaking, with the race to the last four for the Playoffs intensifying. For those who thought till a short while ago, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans would be the first to make it, equations have changed.

For sure, a team which has caught the eye is Mumbai Indians, as they scripted their sixth win in a row. What stood out in their 100-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday was complete professionalism and team effort. This defines the team led by Hardik Pandya as a unit which wants to play not for personal targets but try and win back past glory. When MI won the IPL title five times, Rohit Sharma was the captain.

At 38, when most players are charting retirement plans, Rohit’s hunger is intact. He scored one more half ton against RR, but what stood out was his patience and a new template, hit shots more in the off side. Rohit knows he is going to lead the Indian team in the Test tour to England, and would be watching not only the MI team but also what the other players are doing in remaining franchises.

For the tour to Australia, Rohit had Jasprit Bumrah as his deputy. Bumrah played a massive role in the BGT Series but an injury during the Sydney Test saw him collapse. He had to sit out of cricket for three months. Bumrah’s rehab and return is being watched closely, so BOOM performing for MI this season has been good. On Thursday, Bumrah bowled with brain and was happy he could produce 15 dot balls. As one who is still termed as an all-format bowler, his return for MI is good. Yet, he will himself keep an eye on how his body and back behave as he handles the last few years in his career. For the present, Bumrah will focus on getting his bowling rhythm back and how he can hurt the English batters.

For sure, the way Suryakumar Yadav is also playing this season in the IPL marks him out as a match-winner. Surya does not fit into the Test team, as he has been labelled a white ball exponent who now leads Team India in the T20 format. The next one year is important for Surya, as the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

In the good old days, Bombay used to provide so many players to the Indian team in Test cricket. Even if one looks at the 1983 World Cup win, Bombay did chip in with players like Sunny Gavaskar and Balwinder Sandhu. Sunny did not have a great outing, though, but did well for India in the 1985 Benson and Hedges Cup in Australia. Recently, Ravi Shastri, who did extremely well in the 1985 event and won an Audi, spoke of how the IPL should be considered as a marker for picking players for the Test tour to England.

His point is valid since the IPL, played over such a long period, is the best way to check if a player has been in form. There can be no stupid experiment like asking players to go and play one or two Ranji Trophy matches before selection for the Champions Trophy. Players were picked keeping in mind performance in domestic cricket, plus the pedigree ones.

Where the BCCI will need to plan well is how they handle the workload of Bumrah and Rohit as well. A batter has to be fit for all the five Tests, plus Rohit is the captain. However, Bumrah can be spared the load of vice captaincy and just focus on being a match-winner. He can bowl on any surface and produce unplayable stuff. But what he will need to know is, being over-bowled has to be avoided. He had done that right through the BGT Series and cannot risk an injury again.

Looking at the next few weeks, the IPL and Mumbai Indians performance will be watched very closely. The revival they have sparked is now talk of the town. Suddenly, Hardik Pandya, who was a villain last year now is the star. See how times change.