Mumbai Indians Auction Preview

Squad Size: 18

Purse Remaining: 15.35 Cr

Available slots (Overseas): 7 (4)

Who have they retained:

Mumbai have won the last 2 IPL’s and as expected have not tinkered too much with their winning formula. They have retained their entire Indian core as well as the overseas trio of Kieron Pollard, Quinton De Kock and Trent Boult who played virtually every game for them last season. They have also retained hard-hitting Australian batsman Chris Lynn despite him not getting a single game in the UAE last season.

Who have they released:

The reigning champions have released most of their overseas fast bowling contingent. Mumbai have released the Australian pair James Pattinson and Nathan Coulter-Nile who both played a vital role in their title-winning season. They have also let go of Mitchell McClenaghan and franchise legend Lasith Malinga who has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The remaining players they have released are West Indian allrounder Sherfane Rutherford, Prince Balwant Rai Singh and Digvijay Deshmukh, all of whom didn’t feature at all last season.

What they need:

The main area of concern for Mumbai Indians is their fast-bowling options. They currently only have three fast bowlers with an international pedigree in Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Dhawal Kulkarni. Mumbai like to play two overseas fast bowlers in their XI and will likely target at least 2 if not 3 overseas fast bowlers in this auction. Kieron Pollard is also the only overseas all-rounder in the squad and Mumbai should look to get a like for like replacement for the Trinidadian in case of any injuries or lack of form. Rahul Chahar had a poor second half of the season in UAE and Mumbai Indians may also look to bring in a back-up leg spinner into the side.

Players they can sign:

With only 15 Cr to spend, Mumbai doesn’t have the luxury to spend big in this auction compared to some other teams. This means the big names such as Jhye Richardson or Chris Morris will most likely be out of their budget. The fast bowlers they could be interested in are Billy Stanlake from Australia or Alzarri Joseph who previously played for Mumbai in 2019. As a left-arm option, they can go for David Willey, a swing bowler who can also bat lower down the order. In terms of all-rounders, the options are few and far between but players they could potentially buy include Carlos Brathwaite, Jimmy Neesham or Ben Cutting.