Mumbai Indians has been one the best franchises in IPL’s history, if not “the” best. They have played an entertaining brand of cricket and enjoyed a loyal fan base. Having picked up the trophy 5 times since IPL’s inception, they are today well versed with the functioning of the tournament. They have a strong and motivated management group and Mumbai Indians have stuck with their coaches and support staff for some time now. Even the core of the team has been constant for many seasons now. This has helped the franchise to develop a sense of familiarity with their fans.
Mumbai Indians’ strategy of sticking with their players and management for a period of time seems to pay rich dividends to them. All of their various parts have been functioning in a well-oiled manner.
However, we look at 5 players who did play for MI at one point in time but did not go on making the franchise their permanent home.
Dwayne Bravo
One of the best T20 players in the past decade has to be the West Indian superstar Dwayne Bravo. He was part of two T20 world cup winning teams. He also lifted the IPL trophy thrice with CSK and reached innumerable finals. He was part of the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season but soon moved to CSK which has become his permanent home.
Jos Butler
Butler was in MI before his big-hitting credentials were announced to the world. He did play a few matches for the franchise but did not fit into the scheme of things in the long run. Eventually, he moved to the Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and has been in stupendous form ever since.
Ajinkya Rahane
Rahane started his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians but did not get adequate chances. He moved out in 2011 to the Rajasthan Royals. In RR he became a solid and dependable opener. He eventually went on lead Rajasthan in IPL and scored a mountain of runs with an average of over 350 runs in almost every season.
Glenn Maxwell
The big-hitting Aussie all-rounder played for the Mumbai Indians in 2013. However, his chances in the team were sporadic. He was soon released and then went on the play for multiple franchises including Punjab and Bangalore. He may not have settled anywhere but his big-hitting abilities still instill fear in the hearts of bowlers. If stuck with, Maxwell could have become a superstar in Mumbai Indians.
Dinesh Karthik
Karthik was part of the Mumbai Indians in 2012-13 and played many vital innings. He saved the team from precarious situations and was instrumental in their win in 2013. However, he was dropped from the team and went on play for Kolkata, and became the captain there. Karthik was a solid middle over batsman for MI and had he continued he could form the fulcrum of the team.
