IPL 2021: 'He's had his problems with injury' - Mark Butcher highlights Mumbai Indians' cause of concern

Former England batsman Mark Butcher reckons there is one area Mumbai Indians (MI) may fall short on in IPL 2021. Butcher said they look a 'bit thin' in the fast bowling department.

When a team has five IPL titles to its name, there aren't too many things it's doing wrong. That seems to be the case with Mumbai Indians, who are the most successful IPL franchise in history. They emerged victorious in 2019, did a double the next season and now stand on the cusp of becoming the first franchise to win a hat-trick of titles.

Mumbai Indians team huddle: File Photo (IPL / Twitter)

Once again, MI start overwhelming favourites to win the IPL 2021, with the reliable names forming the crux of their team composition. Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are the five players who pick for themselves in the Playing XI. Add to that the likes of Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav and Trent Boult, and MI appear near unbeatable on paper.

However, former England batsman Mark Butcher reckons there is one area MI may fall short on and that is the fast-bowling department. Besides Bumrah, who did not play the limited-overs leg against England, and the T20I leg against Australia before that, MI have Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Milne and Dhawal Kulkarni among a couple of more domestic bowlers, and that Butcher feels could be a bit of an issue for the defending champions.

"You know, I'm looking at the fast bowling resources... I wonder if maybe they are a little bit thin on the ground there. They have Bumrah, but he's had his problems with injury. They might be a little bit thin in the fast-bowling department but they can still pretty much cover off everything else," Butcher said on The Wisden Weekly Podcast.

Having said that, Butcher feels MI have what it takes to cover all bases. Looking back at the year of their first ever IPL title, 2013, Butcher recalled how the team, following a string of early losses, regrouped like champions and despite having their backs against the wall, emerged victorious.

"And also, you have a system that is successful. I was there when Ricky Ponting came over and was the coach for the first time. They needed to win something like seven on the bounce to qualify and they did," Butcher added.

"They lost their first five or six games and still won the tournament. They have this resilience and the winning experience that draws them over the line where other franchises go 'here we go again.' That's what makes them tough to beat."