Twenty20 cricket is proving to be a cruel format for Mumbai Indians to adapt. In spite of being the most expensive franchise and having the best talent at their disposal, they are struggling to find the best combination.

Can there be bigger names in international cricket than Tendulkar, Jayasuriya, Duminy, Zaheer,u00a0 Malinga and Harbhajan? But, the Indian Premier League is a tournament where the strength of your local talent is equally important. This is where MI fall short as they lie at the seventh spot in the 2009 Indian Premier League.

Kings XI Punjab's Brett Lee celebrates after scoring the winning run against Deccan Chargers in their 2009 Indian Premier League cricket match at Kimberley, South Africa on Saturday. PICS/AP

Players like Shadab Jakati, Mithun Manhas, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia and T Suman have been a revelation for their teams, while apart from Abhishek Nayar, not a single local player has really stood out for MI.

It is the format of the game where a street-smart cricketer is a better bet than a technically correct one. It is actually a format tailor-made for Mumbai's cheeky players, hence the surprise at the lack of depth in this side.u00a0

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