Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up the x-factor, and the best batter of the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2026 season. In his YouTube video, while explaining the MI squad, Ahswin did not prefer to choose Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, or Hardik Pandya as their probable best batter or x-factor for the upcoming Indian Premier League season.
Mumbai Indians, the 5-time IPL winners, will start their journey in the IPL 2026 on March 29, the day after the inauguration of the edition. For the first match of their title race, MI will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai Indians’ last IPL triumphant season was in 2020
In the previous season, the former IPL champions had a very tough start, dropping multiple points in the initial stage of the 2025 IPL season. Later, they gained momentum and entered the play-offs only by a narrow margin, but failed to translate their momentum into the final of the contest. They lost Qualifier 2 to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by five wickets.
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The Mumbai Indians last claimed the title back in 2020, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Later, keep an eye on the future, the management appointed Ravichandran Ashwin as their skipper, replacing Sharma.
With Hardik Pandya as the leader, the team from Mumbai is yet to reclaim its form. After winning the title in 2020, MI went out of the title contention in the league stage in the next two editions. In 2023, they reached the play-offs against the Gujarat Titans.
Who will be the best batter for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026?
There will be expectations around the team during the IPL 2026 season. The team is filled with stars, but who can be the standout performer for the team? Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Tilak Varma could be their best batter in the upcoming season, and for the best bowler, for Ashwin, there will be none other than Jasprit Bumrah.
“According to me, this time the best batsman for Mumbai is going to be Tilak Varma. And we have predicted the best bowler. We can’t even think of anyone, but Jasprit Bumrah,” Ashwin said during a discussion on his YouTube show Ash ki baat.
But who will be the dark horse for the Mumbai Indians? Here also, Ashwin makes another unpredictable call. Instead of naming any superstars, the former India spinner felt that Afghanistan international Allah Ghazanfar can be the trump card for the MI.
And who will be the x-factor for the team?
Allah Ghazanfar, a 20-year-old right-arm spinner, is set to make his debut in the Indian Premier League. In the previous two ILT20 seasons, the emerging spinner proved his skills for MI Emirates. In the 2025-26 season with MI Emirates, the Afghan spinner took 15 wickets in 13 matches for an economy rate of 7.04.
“Is there a dark horse in MI’s XI? I think, if you want to pick a dark horse, you can say Allah Ghazanfar. They will play him this time. And he can do well too. He will bowl with a new ball and can get drift as well. Also, he can bowl a bit lightly. So, I think he could be the only dark horse that I can talk about. Otherwise, everything is set,” he said.
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