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Ravichandran Ashwin
India's ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has labeled Mumbai Indians as the team to beat in the upcoming IPL season. Mumbai will be looking to win their third IPL title in a row, a milestone that no team has ever achieved. The Rohit Sharma-led outfit is already the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL with five titles. Thus, Ravichandran Ashwin believes they could very well be on course on winning their sixth title this season.
Mumbai Indians have retained their core team ahead of IPL 2021, and they will undoubtedly start the season as favorites. Moreover, the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will be more reliable going into the new season after their impressive outing in national colors recently. Ravichandran Ashwin also pointed out how every IPL side is in unchartered territory this season as teams are going to play at neutral venues. The off-spinner recommended that conditions could end up playing a crucial role in deciding which team might come out on top.
R Ashwin was traded to DC from Punjab Kings ahead of the 2020 season
Ashwin comes into the tournament on the back of an excellent season with the Indian cricket team. The Tamil Nadu player excelled with both bat and ball. In the four-match Test series against England at home, Ashwin scored 189 runs and picked up 32 wickets. It was the most by any bowler in the entire series. R Ashwin was also one of India's star performers in the away Test series against Australia. The 34-year-old scalped 12 wickets from three Tests. He also shared a match-saving partnership with Hanuma Vihari in the second innings of the third Test match in Sydney.
In the IPL, too, R Ashwin has been one of the leading wicket-takers. He is currently sixth on the all-time wicket-takers list with 138 scalps from 154 matches. The all-rounder led Punjab Kings in 2018 and 2019. He has also featured for Rising Pune Supergiant and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the past. Last year, DC came close to grabbing their maiden IPL title but had to bow down to a rugged Mumbai Indians team in the final. But, this season, the Delhi-based franchise would have gained more experience. The side would be more than ready to take on the challenge of defeating Mumbai Indians to the title run if the situation comes.