Former India captain Anil Kumble believes that the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are almost neck-and-neck when it comes to being the greatest teams in IPL history.
Kumble on Best IPL teams
Speaking on JioStar, Kumble said CSK’s strength lies in their consistency, they stick with experienced players who know the game well. On the other hand, MI has built its success by spotting and nurturing new talent. Players like Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah made their mark through MI’s development system, along with younger stars like Nehal Wadhera, who recently moved to Punjab Kings but impressed for MI earlier.
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“MI is very close to, or almost the same as CSK when you talk about the greatest team in the IPL,” Kumble said. “CSK has always relied on experienced players, while MI has looked at players nobody had seen before, including those who performed well in domestic cricket. And it worked brilliantly.”
Kumble decoded RCB's maiden title win
He also spoke about Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning their first IPL title in 2025. Kumble noted that it wasn’t just Virat Kohli’s batting that led to team's maiden title win, it was also the team’s strong bowling. Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, and Suyash Sharma all played crucial roles.
Kohli was RCB’s highest run-getter with 657 runs in 15 matches, but Hazlewood’s bowling was equally impressive, he picked up 22 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.55. Krunal Pandya also played a crucial role with his bowling, claiming 17 wickets during the season, helping RCB lift their maiden IPL trophy.
"Virat plays a major part in RCB's success. But if you look at last year, whenever RCB were successful, their bowling unit also came to the fore. I feel Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar certainly contributed a lot. The two spinners, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, were also a surprise package. The bowling unit performed exceptionally well for them to win the trophy. So, I think the fans will certainly throng the Chinnaswamy Stadium to watch Virat Kohli. But I'm sure the fans will also be proud that they have a really strong bowling unit that can defend," Anil Kumble said on JioStar.