Anil Kumble Says Mumbai Indians And Chennai Super Kings Are IPL’s Greatest Teams

Former India captain Anil Kumble has said that Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings stand almost equal when it comes to being the greatest teams in the history of the Indian Premier League.

Speaking on JioStar, Kumble explained that both franchises have achieved remarkable success in different ways, making it difficult to separate them when discussing the most dominant teams in the tournament’s history. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are currently the most successful franchises in the IPL, with both teams having won five titles each.

“MI is very close to, or almost the same as CSK when you talk about the greatest team in the IPL, because you can’t really distinguish one from the other. CSK has always been consistent with their selections. They go for people who have been there and done that. Only last year did we see a few youngsters come through,” Anil Kumble said.

Kumble pointed out that Chennai Super Kings have built their success around consistency and experienced players. According to him, the franchise has traditionally preferred players with proven track records and has maintained stability in team selection over the years.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians have followed a different strategy by focusing on discovering and developing young talent, many of whom later became major stars in international cricket.

“Whereas MI has gone slightly out and looked at players whom nobody had seen before, some who had done well at the domestic level. So people like Hardik, Krunal and Jasprit all came through those ranks. And then we saw what happened. Recently, you had the likes of Nehal Wadhera, who has now moved to PBKS, but performed really well for MI,” he added.

Kumble also spoke about Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL 2025 title victory. He noted that while Virat Kohli played a key role in the team’s success, the bowling unit was equally important in helping RCB lift their first-ever IPL trophy.

During the 2025 season, Kohli was the leading run-scorer for RCB, accumulating 657 runs in 15 matches. However, Kumble highlighted that the team’s bowling attack delivered crucial performances throughout the tournament.

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was particularly impressive, claiming 22 wickets in 12 matches at an outstanding average of 17.55. Krunal Pandya also played a major role with the ball, finishing the season with 17 wickets.

According to Kumble, the bowling unit including Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma played a decisive role in RCB’s title-winning campaign.

“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.