ILT20 TEAM GUIDE: MI Emirates' squad is brimming with T20 pedigree but are they over-reliant on players in their twilight, wonders AMEY KULKARNI
Coach: Shane Bond
Shane Bond has been a part of the MI family as a bowling coach for the Mumbai Indians since 2015, so it is unsurprisingly that they turned to him for the ILT20. Bond is a highly experienced coach and will have Parthiv Patel, Vinay Kumar, and James Franklin working alongside him.
Captain: Kieron Pollard
Another long-time ally of the MI family. Kieron Pollard recently called time on his IPL playing career, instead opting for a backroom role in 2023, but will lend his leadership skills to MI Emirates. He has previously captained West Indies and numerous franchises as well as scoring nearly 12,000 runs and taking over 300 wickets in the format. In the twilight of his career, this is yet another competition for him to conquer.
Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard [Ashley Allen/Getty Images]
BATTING
Power hitters
MI Emirates has one of the most destructive batting line-ups in the competition.
At the top of the order, they have Andre Fletcher and Will Smeed who are well known for their power hitting. One of Fletcher's most memorable innings came in the 2020/21 BBL, where he smashed 89 off 49 balls for the Melbourne Stars while Smeed, a T20 specialist, has scored 1,471 runs at a strike rate of 146.66.
In the middle order, Afghanistan batter Najibullah Zadran loves to take on spinners in the middle overs. The left-handed batter has a strike rate of 141.96 in the 86 games that he has played for his nation. And of course, Nicolas Pooran is no stranger to taking bowling attacks apart: he was the highest run-scorer in the 2022/23 T10 League, smashing 345 runs at a strike rate of 234.69 for Deccan Gladiators.
Elsewhere, the likes of Lorcan Tucker and Bas de Leede should not be underestimated while local star, Muhammad Waseem, is another destructive top order option. The UAE international has a career strike rate in excess of 140.
Anchor
Young Vriitya Aravind averages 28.21 while scoring at a steady strike rate of 122.37, which certainly makes him an option in this department. Waseem, meanwhile, could also slot in here – in 20 T20s, he has scored two centuries and five centuries and boasts an average of 39.10.
Looking at this squad's destructive potential, however, you wouldn't expect to see them taking their foot off the gas at any point with the bat.
Finisher
In Pollard, MI Emirates have one of the most destructive finishers in the business – he has a strike rate in excess of 150 and the small matter of 747 fours and 794 sixes. Fellow West Indian, Dwayne Bravo, is also capable of felling bowlers at the death.
English trio Jordan Thompson, Tom Lammonby and Dan Mousley can also play the role of finisher. Thompson strikes at 154.58 in T20s, Lammonby smashed 90 runs off 36 balls for Somerset against Gloucestershire in last year’s T20 Blast, and 21-year-old Mousley's 140-plus strike rate smacks of potential.
Problem areas
On paper, MI Emirates have an enviable line-up and have covered all aspects. What is perhaps concerning, however, is that neither Pollard nor Bravo are in anything approaching form. In 2022, Pollard scored just 144 runs in 11 games, striking at 107.46 while Bravo played just six innings. If their form doesn't recover, some selection headaches may be waiting for Bond.
Nicolas Pooran [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
BOWLING
Speed merchants
The experience of Trent Boult, the youth of Fazalhaq Farooqi and depth galore in the likes of local lad Zahoor Khan, Thompson and Brad Wheal.
Boult and Wheal are the powerplay stars, picking up wickets with the new ball. Wheal has preformed well for Scotland in recent years, swinging the new ball with pace and executing his yorkers at the death. Farooqi can perform a similar role, trapping batters with his left-arm action.
Craig Overton is also in the mix, with his 6ft 5in frame extracting enviable bounce. He has 70 wickets in 70 T20s. Bravo, meanwhile, is something of a death specialist.
Variation
You'd struggle to find a more experienced duo than Imran Tahir and Samit Patel. The former has a phenomenal record in T20s, taking 466 wickets in 373 outings and storing bags full of variations up his sleeves. Patel, meanwhile, is a handy left-arm option in the middle overs with over 300 wickets to his name.
Young Afghan spinner Zahir Khan adds a bit of mystery to the spin department. The 24-yaer-old has taken 98 wickets in his T20 career.
Problem areas
Death bowling could be a problem is Bravo is rusty. Boult and Wheal, meanwhile, can be expensive at times. As for the spinners, neither Tahir nor Patel has played since September, so could take a while to get themselves back into the swing of things.
Imran Tahir [David Rogers/Getty Images]
Who takes the gloves?
MI Emirates have a number of options with the gloves, including Fletcher, Aravind, and Tucker, However, they will likely go with Pooran – an explosive middle-order batter with a safe pair of hands. In his T20 career, he has taken 132 catches and 20 stumpings.
Squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Dwayne Bravo, Nicolas Pooran, Trent Boult, Andre Fletcher, Imran Tahir, Samit Patel, Will Smeed, Jordan Thompson, Najibullah Zadran, Zahir Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Brad Wheal, Bas de Leede, Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Craig Overton, Tom Lammonby, Dan Mousley, McKenny Clarke, Lorcan Tucker
Possible starting XI: Andre Fletcher, Will Smeed, Muhammad Waseem, Nicolas Pooran, Samit Patel, Kieron Pollard, Tom Lammonby, Dwyane Bravo, Trent Boult, Imran Tahir, Brad Wheal
Fixtures: January 14 - Sharjah Warriors (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm GMT), January 17 – Sharjah Warriors (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 2pm), January 21 – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), January 22 – Dubai Capitals (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), January 24 – Desert Vipers (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), January 27 – Gulf Giants (Dubai International Stadium, 2pm), January 29 – Desert Vipers (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, 2pm), February 1 – Gulf Giants (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), February 3 – Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (Sheikh Zayed Stadium, 2pm), February 5 – Dubai Capitals (Dubai International Stadium, 2pm)
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