Mumbai Indians (MI) will be fighting for their sixth title in the IPL 2026, which begins on March 28. Ahead of the season, the fans and experts are weighing on the 10 franchises and their chances. Former South Africa and RCB legend, AB de Villiers has also been analysing teams.
The five-time former champions have one of the strongest squads in the league. However, de Villiers believes they have one major issue that could derail their campaign.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers assessed the Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 squad. He raised a big concern about Trent Boult, who is set to partner Jasprit Bumrah yet again. He feels Boult is having a similar problem as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, having gone past his peak playing years.
“They don’t need more all-rounders than what they already have. But the one worry for me is Trent Boult. It’s similar to Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] situation, where he has lost a yard,” said de Villiers.
“He is not as spicy as he was from 2018, 2019 and 2020, even earlier 2015. He was clocking in low 140s, really swinging it late because of that fiery wrist he got, but he’s maybe pulled back like a yard and he seems to be more expensive over the last while that I have watched him play over at SA20,” he added.
De Villiers is pretty spot on with his assessment as the Kiwi pacer’s performance has indeed dropped in the last year or so. In the previous IPL season, he picked up 22 wickets but conceded runs at 8.96. Boult was underwhelming even in the last SA20 season, where he managed eight wickets from 10 games at an economy of 9.82.
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Irrespective of these numbers, Boult is the frontrunner for the overseas pacer slot in the MI playing XI. But if he is not able to make an impact at the beginning of the season, MI have a backup option in Corbin Bosch. By playing him, they can make better use of Bumrah with the new ball.
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