The Caribbean carnival is on, and we have been grooving in all its essence - be it cricket, the scenic stadiums, the family vibe amongst the supporters, or the unpredictable weather. 

Since 2008, some of the finest Caribbean stars have donned the iconic Blue and Gold in the IPL. Minor or significant, their efforts were crucial in Mumbai Indians becoming the most successful Indian T20 franchise globally. So here we are, going down memory lane and creating an MI West Indian XI.

Openers

1. Evin Lewis: When in the mood, nobody struck them cleaner! He had a particular love for India’s bowling, smashing two T20Is centuries against them (a blitzkrieg 62-ball 125 in 2017 and a century in just 49 balls in 2019). He remains the highest individual run-getter for the Men in Maroon in T20I cricket. 

The Trinidadian spent two seasons at Mumbai, amassing 430 runs in 16 games. In the 2018 season, Lewis hit two half-centuries with his first - a 65-run knock against RCB at the Wankhede - helping MI end a three-game losing start to the campaign. Despite only three appearances, he came in towards the crucial business end of the tournament, and earned a winners medal in our 2019 championship-winning campaign. 

2. Lendl Simmons: A T20 specialist who played a pivotal role in MI’s two title triumphs (2015 and 2017) - Lendl Simmons was the first overseas opener to register 1000 runs in the iconic Blue and Gold and the second fastest (in terms of innings played) in IPL history. What more? He’s also a two-time World Cup winner. 

The Trinidadian also topped the run-charts for MI in the 2015 edition, aggregating 540 runs at a strike rate of 122.44. His champion innings (68 in 45 balls) and a 119-run second-wicket stand with Ro-Hit Sharma won us the 2015 IPL title against our arch-rivals CSK. Before this, Simmons became the third MI batter to notch a century with his unbeaten 100 off 61 balls against PBKS in 2014. 

Middle-order (3-7)

3. Dwayne Smith: Termed as a ‘sizable talent’ by Sir Vivian Richards, Dwayne Smith was a proper multi-dimensional cricketer. He was a beast in franchise cricket, with 6725 runs in 276 matches. His two spells with us (2008; 2012-2013) saw him tally 945 runs, including a last-over heist on his second stint debut (MI vs CSK, 2012) and a 39-ball 44 that powered MI to a match-winning score of 202/6 in the 2013 Champions Trophy final against RR. 

4. Nicholas Pooran: Some trivia for even the most ardent MI fan, Nicky P was in our ranks in 2017 as a 21-year-old. Although he didn’t get a game, his talent and his ability to hit them clean was there for everyone to see. He currently is still riding the success wave of leading MI New York to the inaugural MLC title with 13 sixes and 10 fours during his whirlwind 55-ball 137! 

Against India in the international circuit, he maintains a memorable love affair and has amassed over 1,000 runs in white-ball cricket against them. He even started off his international career against the Men in Blue with a 24-ball 50 in 2018.

5. Kieron Pollard: The Llord. The Leader. The Legend. Over the last 14 years, he’s just become synonymous with MI. Okay, let’s begin with his Windies career, shall we? The T20 World Cup winner, the first player to represent the Windies in 100 T20Is, the third player in the history of the men’s international game to hit six sixes in a single over (vs SL, 2021) and one of the significant white-ball specialists in the sport who never played Test cricket. Besides batting, Pollard was an elemental bowler and an electric fielder - as seen in his revolutionary T20 career. Don’t forget a gun skipper, who brought about a resurgence in their cricket. 

In the Blue and Gold, he remains the man of five titles! Be it superhuman one-handed catches, juice-blending knocks or the game-changing bowling spells, Polly rubberstamped his journey in for the MI Paltan. After countless memories, the Llord remains a part of the #OneFamily in a new capacity - batting coach of our IPL side and captain of our MI Emirates and MI New York teams. 

6. Dwayne Bravo: An entertainer on and off the field, DJ Bravo has been the ultimate showman. With MI in its first three seasons (2008-13), he amassed 508 runs and 30 wickets from 33 games, batting at almost position for the side. Some of his diving saves by the boundary are still the stuff of MI legend. With his good friend KP in the mix, expect the duo to form a fortress. 

Slower balls and cutters, along with varying lines and lengths to outfox the batters over the last 19 years has been a Bravo trademark, and has over 600 wickets in T20 cricket. The two-time T20 World Cup Champion, he’s still going strong in leagues around the world!

7. Sherfane Rutherford: The left-handed all-rounder first came into prominence in 2018, after he finished as the leading run-scorer (230 runs in eight games) for Cricket West Indies B Team in the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada. Don’t forget his equally useful medium pacers. 

The Guyaneese came into our MI setup as a part of a player trade from the Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2020, and although he didn’t get a game, walked out with a Champions medal around his neck! 

Lower-order

8. Fabian Allen: Another student from the Windies school of all-rounders, who specialises in hard-hitting batting, clutch bowling, livewire fielding and electric dance moves. Since 2018, Allen has worn the iconic Maroon 54 times in international cricket, registering 467 runs and 31 wickets. His best performances include 51 vs Sri Lanka (ODI, 2019) and 2/18 against South Africa (T20I, 2021). 

He joined us in 2022, and his only competitive outing saw him return with figures of 1/46 against Lucknow Super Giants. His left-arm spin adds the perfect blend to this all-time pace attack. 

9. Alzarri Joseph: Of everything, a true MI Paltan will remember Alzarri Joseph for just one thing - an out-of-the-world 6/12 on his IPL debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019. That performance was an exhibition of sheer pace and Alzarri’s ‘no negotiation’ with opposition batters. However, he would only play two more games before getting injured and released ahead of IPL 2020. 

As far his exploits for the West Indies, Joseph opened the doors to his future in the senior team with stellar performances in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup. In a game against Zimbabwe, he bowled the competition's fastest delivery - 147kph - that broke through the batter’s stumps. Currently, he’s one of the best bowlers going around in the business, and a seasoned all-format player. 

10. Jerome Taylor: In times when pace is a dying art in the West Indies, here was someone who’d crank the speedgun up. In his heyday, Taylor led the West Indies bowling and helped them get out of their on-off form slumps with his confident performances with the ball. 

This contributed to the decision to sign a quality bowler with 100-plus wickets in Tests and ODIs for the 2016 IPL season to replace the injured Lasith Malinga. However, he didn’t break into the first team.  

11. Krishmar Santokie: Despite having a short-lived international career, Santokie made his presence felt with his slinky unique action and skiddy pace. In 119 T20 games placed around the globe between 2010 and 2020, he has 180 scalps to his name. 

Joining Mumbai Indians in 2014, the Jamaican became the first-ever player to debut in the IPL without playing a single first-class game. He featured twice for us in the season, and picked up a couple of wickets on his debut against Rajasthan Royals. In this XI, his left-arm angle will be the perfect complementing factor to the other rightie pacers. 

What do you say, Paltan? Is this side good enough to beat the current West Indian team? Which other IPL teams do you reckon they could give a run for their money? Go on, tell us, we’re all ears.