Former Indian left-arm fast bowler Irfan Pathan said Mumbai Indians (MI) Hold the edge Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the discussion on the greatest Indian Premier League (IPL) team, citing the former’s role in giving the Indian team the match-winner
MI vs CSK debate: Pathan takes his side
“Between CSK and MI to choose the team as the biggest team in IPL, it will always be a matter of debate. CSK started winning the IPL title since 2010. They won back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011 and were the first team to do so. But when MI started winning since 2013, they won consecutively after winning the IPL every year. Back-to-back in 2019 and 2020. Back,” said Irfan Pathan.
“MI have given India more match winners”
“But what I love about MI is their contribution to Indian cricket. The number of match-winners they have produced for the Indian team is just phenomenal. How do you achieve that? First, you make your franchise big, second, you deliver results with your team. Still, MI had a great squad last season that could have easily won the trophy,” he added, but for different reasons. “CSK doesn’t have four Indian captains, MI does. In that sense, putting a team together and contributing to a bigger cause, I think MI is the biggest team in the IPL. I know CSK will always say that they are also the greatest, they have won five trophies. There is no doubt that there will always be a debate and it is a fair debate, but I have given a lot of young cricketers a chance to win and I have won a lot of cricket. Indian cricket talent,” said Pathan on JioStar.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi Important faces IPL 2026 the weather
He also talked about how the 2026 IPL season will be a learning curve for teenage batting sensation Vibhu Suryavanshi. The left-hander became the fastest Indian batsman to score a century in IPL in just 35 balls last year and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have retained it ahead of IPL 2026.Suryavanshi is also coming off the back of Player of the Tournament and Player of the Final in the 2026 Men’s Under-19 World Cup. “This IPL season will be a learning curve for Vibhu Suryavanshi. He has played in the tournament last year, he has played domestic cricket, and he is playing cricket everywhere in all formats.“He played in the Under-19 World Cup, he participated in the Ranji Trophy with Bihar, and he scored runs everywhere. In white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket, everyone is taking notice, the bowlers are doing the same, since he debuted in the IPL last year, other players are watching his videos and analyzing his weakness,” he said.
The opposing bowlers targeted the weaknesses
Pathan signed off saying that it will be interesting to see if Suryavanshi upgrades his game when the opposition bowlers target his weak areas. “So he needs to find a way to upgrade his game and work on his weaknesses. He has scored centuries with ease in all styles of cricket. When you do that consistently, not just in the IPL but in domestic cricket, under-19 cricket and emerging matches, your confidence goes up.“In this IPL season, all the bowlers will be ready with their strategy and Vibhu will be looking to prove a point. He can do it by scoring another century in IPL. When he scores runs this season, then we can say that Vibhu Suryavanshi has upgraded his game.”
