Mumbai Indians: Gamechangers: Cricketnext

New Delhi: After a fantastic performance in IPL-III, Mumbai Indians (MI) will hope to go one step better in Champions League, which begins from September 10, 2010. Mumbai Indians finished runners-up in IPL-III behind Chennai Super Kings who beat them in the finals.

Mumbai will like to bury the ghost of IPL final and hope to pull it off in the Champions League. Led by arguably the best batsman in the world in Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians are not short of match-winners. Here we look at the players who can help Mumbai lift the trophy.

Sachin Tendulkar: No matter which team Tendulkar plays for, he will always remain the player to watch out for. What more, he seems to be getting better with age. The little master was the leading run-scorer in IPL-III with 618 runs and was adjudged the best batsman of the tournament. The biggest plus point with Tendulkar is that he paces his innings with minimum risk and at the same time keeps up with the brisk pace this format demands. It's a foregone conclusion that he will inspire Mumbai in Champions League and will be the most feared batsman in the tournament.

Kieron Pollard: He's big, he's powerful and he's well suited for the T20 format without a doubt. He is that kind of a player who you can pay money to watch. He has the ability to hit big shots whenever he wants to. He can make a mockery of even the world's best bowler in this format. When on song, Pollard can pretty much hit any ball to the boundary and all the bowlers would be aware of that. He was the most expensive player in IPL-III and he justified his price tag with some brilliant cameos whenever it was asked of him. Pollard was instrumental in taking Mumbai to the final during the semifinal match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and he was also named the best debut performer. He can also be lethal with the ball. His knack of taking wickets at crucial times, in addition to his big-hitting, makes him a big attraction in the tournament.

Lasith Malinga: Lasith Malinga is touted as one of the best bowler in the world at present. He is a fast bowler with rare round-arm action but even then bowls yorkers with stunning precision and consistency. He helps Mumbai Indians early in the innings by getting early breakthroughs and then comes back at the end with his yorkers that are not only difficult to score but get him wickets too. He really combined well with fellow paceman Zaheer Khan and both of them were instrumental in Mumbai's road to the final in IPL-III. He will surely be one of the lethal weapons for Mumbai on fast and bouncy wickets in South Africa.

Ambati Rayudu: The IPL-III saw the emergence of talented and dashing Ambati Rayudu. The former Indian under-19 captain, who played in the rebel ICL for two years, was allowed to make a comeback into the Indian system and stunned everybody with his consistency in playing match-winning innings. He was also nominated for the Emerging Player of the Tournament award. Rayudu's talent and skills have never been in question and he gave ample evidence of that in the IPL. Rayudu showed that he has a level head on his shoulders besides gifted cricketing skills. He has the ability to bat according to the situation and can shift gears at the right time. He, along with Saurabh Tiwary, can make monumental contribution to Mumbai's success in the Champions League.

Harbhajan Singh: There are cricketers and then there are `character cricketers'. Harbhajan Singh would certainly fall into the second category. You just can't ignore this man on and off the field. He can bowl and surely he can slog and send the ball over the ropes on his day. He will be crucial for Mumbai Indians' success in the Champions League but the South African wickets, where there will be less assistance for the spinners, will test him. However, we all know that when he is on song, very few can face the wily off-spinner. He can put a lid on the scoring rate and at the same time take wickets for his teem. His match-winning knock of 49 from 17 balls against Deccan Chargers in the IPL remains etched in viewers' minds, who will hope that he brings back those memories in the Champions League.

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#Sachin Tendulkar, #Harbhajan Singh, #Lasith Malinga, #Kieron Pollard