Irfan Pathan believes that Mayank Markande will have a key role to play for the Mumbai Indians (MI) during the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former India leg-spinner made a name for himself while playing for the Mumbai Indians. He was traded in from the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction.

Pathan opined that if Markande performs his role to a tee, it would put the Mumbai Indians in strong stead and they would have no weakness in their team.

“Mayank Markande has been brought back. He started his career here, but the question is whether he will bring the same impact to the matches.

It has been heard that he has improved a lot in his bowling. He now looks like a more complete spinner, and his ball is turning well. If he performs his role effectively, there will be no weakness in this Mumbai Indians team," Pathan said while speaking in a video on his YouTube channel.

“For an Indian spinner, the way you play your role in the middle overs is also a crucial factor, because Allah Ghazanfar bowls upfront. If you have good spinners bowling from both ends in the middle overs, I think that is the biggest factor.

Mumbai Indians have lagged a little behind in this aspect in recent times. If Mayank Markande does his job this year, it will add much more solidity to the Mumbai Indians team. This is a very important factor,” he added.

Pathan expressed his concerns about Deepak Chahar's form and fitness. Last year, he made his debut for the Mumbai Indians. However, he could only bag 11 wickets in 14 matches and conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.17. The former India all-rounder said that if Chahar can get wickets with the new ball, it will bode well for the five-time champions.

“Deepak Chahar’s fitness is always closely watched because he has had fitness issues in the past. The second concern is his performance. Last year, he did not even take a wicket per match, and his economy rate was around nine. Mumbai Indians will expect much better performance from him this time. He has been brought in as a new-ball wicket-taker, and he will need to perform that role consistently. If he does, it becomes much easier for the captain to manage the game," Pathan said.

Pathan mentioned that the combination of Trent Boult and Chahar with the new ball could be crucial, as both of them are known to pick up wickets inside the power play. However, he reiterated how important Chahar's performance is going to be in the impending season.

“With Trent Boult bowling from one end and Deepak Chahar from the other, both taking wickets with the new ball, the team can then use the other bowlers as needed.

Deepak Chahar can also bowl three overs non-stop in the powerplay, finishing it strongly. Therefore, staying in form and taking wickets is very important for him. However, he does not play too much cricket between IPL seasons, and this will be a big challenge for Deepak Chahar," he concluded.