As the Mumbai Indians gear up for a crucial IPL auction, let’s take a look at three players the franchise could look at to bolster their squad.
The most successful side in the history of the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians retained their core players ahead of the auctions for the 2020 season. The able leadership of Rohit Sharma guided MI to their fourth IPL title earlier this year. Under his leadership, the franchise built a solid Indian core, which included the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, upcoming wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, and the captain himself.
Amongst overseas players, Mumbai is almost a second home for Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga. While the Sri Lankan speedster represented the side since the inaugural season of the IPL, Pollard joined MI in 2010 and has since been an indispensable part of the outfit. Quinton de Kock and Mitchell McClenaghan were also retained by the side after their impressive performances in the trophy-winning season.
With most of the bases covered, Mumbai Indians will look to bolster their bench strength in the upcoming auction. However, one position in the middle-order is up for grabs in the side and the franchise could spend a hefty sum to bring in a top-quality batsman. Let’s take a look at three players which MI could target:
Glenn Maxwell – Base Price: Rs. 2 Crore
The Australian batsman is undoubtedly one of the best hitters of the ball in modern-day cricket. His recent seasons in the IPL may have been underwhelming, but his batting prowess may still make him a highly sought-after player in the auction. Maxwell boasts of a career strike-rate of 154 in T20s.
His best performance in the IPL came in the 2014 season when he scored 552 runs in 16 matches for Kings XI Punjab, steering them into the final of the tournament.
Yashasvi Jaiswal – Base Price: Rs. 20 Lakh
Throughout their history in the IPL, Mumbai Indians have always backed local players and have given them chances. The 19-year-old batsman is one of the hottest prospects in Mumbai cricket this year. Jaiswal, who will be a part of India’s squad at the U-19 World Cup in February 2020, had impressive outings for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year.
The batsman scored a double-century against Jharkhand, and ended the tournament as its fifth-highest run-getter despite playing only six games. He scored 564 runs at a staggering average of 112.8, slamming three centuries and a fifty.
Shams Mulani
Another upcoming star from Mumbai, Mulani provides a specialist spin option for Mumbai Indians. The current squad of the franchise boasts of only two spinners in Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar. With the signing of Mulani, the side will have a quality left-arm spinner on the bench.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this year, Mulani bowled at an impressive average of 6.64 throughout the tournament. He took 11 wickets in as many games for the side.
