3 concerns for MI heading into the IPL 2023 auction
On the back of an Indian Premier League (IPL) season in which they lost their first eight games to finish dead last in the points table, the Mumbai Indians (MI) will undoubtedly want to course-correct.
MI released as many as 13 players ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, even deciding to let go of names like Mayank Markande and Sanjay Yadav. The five-time champions still have 16 players on their roster, though, owing to injury replacements and trades. They have a few areas to address on December 23 if they are to add another feather to their cap.
Here are three concerns for MI heading into the IPL 2023 auction.
#3 MI need all-rounders
This was a drawback of the roster even last year, but MI made do with the likes of Daniel Sams. Ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, they released not only Sams but also Fabian Allen and Sanjay Yadav, leaving them with barely any all-round options.
Their middle-order batters - Tim David, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis and Tilak Varma - are all capable of sending down some spin, and Ramandeep Singh is taking large strides in domestic cricket. But MI lack a quality all-rounder who can regularly contribute in both departments reliably.
Sam Curran, who is part of MI Cape Town, might be on their radar. But the Englishman won't come cheap and the franchise has other holes to fill. Finding all-rounders to beef up their lower-middle order might be a tall order for the five-time champions.
#2 MI need Indian pacers to partner Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah cut a disconsolate figure for most of IPL 2022 as he had barely any support from the other end. Jofra Archer missed the season with injury, and MI's Indian pace-bowling options such as Jaydev Unadkat and Basil Thampi were very expensive.
MI have decided to release both Unadkat and Thampi, with plans to probably go after younger options in the auction pool. With very few tried-and-tested international pacers on the market right now, Rohit Sharma and Co. have a real task on their hands to find adequate support for their spearhead.
#1 MI's spin department is almost non-existent
MI didn't just release a bunch of pacers; they decided to let go of a few spin options too. Fabian Allen, Sanjay Yadav, Mayank Markande and Murugan Ashwin were among those ousted, leaving the roster with only one frontline spinner in the uncapped Kumar Kartikeya.
Kartikeya has some company in the form of Hrithik Shokeen and the aforementioned middle-order batters, but MI lack experience and reliability in their spin department. More importantly, they don't have any wrist-spinners on their books.
Domestic wrist-spinners are hard to come by these days, and MI's team combination is unlikely to allow them to use an overseas spot for the same. How will the Mumbai Indians plug this hole?