3 important MI players who are at risk of being released ahead of IPL 2024
After missing out on the playoffs in the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians (MI) experienced an upturn in fortunes earlier this year.
Their form was patchy at times, but Rohit Sharma and Co. managed to reach the Eliminator, where they beat the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to progress to Qualifier 2. The Gujarat Titans (GT) ensured that they didn't go further in the competition, but it was a decent overall tournament from a side that dealt with a few high-profile injuries.
Mumbai are a side that always plan for the future and will undoubtedly already have an eye on the next IPL season. The five-time champions will know that they can get better and that they might need to move along a few names to achieve that objective.
Here are three important MI players who are at risk of being released ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
#3 Jhye Richardson
Jhye Richardson would've probably had a big role to play in IPL 2023, had he not been ruled out of the tournament before a ball was bowled. MI often played two overseas pacers, and Jofra Archer's fragile body only made things worse.
A canny operator who can bowl at all phases of the innings and also bat a bit, Richardson has set most T20 competitions alight when he has been able to keep himself fit. Unfortunately, though, that hasn't been very often.
Richardson hasn't played a competitive game of cricket since January 2023. Even if MI don't decide to stick with his injury replacement during the last season, Riley Meredith, they're likely to look past the injury-prone Aussie.
#2 Chris Jordan
Chris Jordan was brought into the fold as a backup midway through IPL 2023 and then named in main squad following Archer's departure. While he did turn in the odd promising display, the Englishman's familiar woes with consistency and economy rate resurfaced.
Jordan picked up just three wickets in six games at a terrible economy rate of 10.77. He couldn't make any meaningful contributions with the bat and was also uncharacteristically poor on the field. The fast bowler's performances towards the end of the campaign worked against MI.
Jordan is in excellent form in The Hundred and other limited-overs competitions, but he has consistently failed to deliver at the IPL level. It would be a surprise if MI decide to keep faith in him.
#1 Jofra Archer
Will MI finally pull the plug on the Jofra Archer experiment? They spent a hefty amount on the express pacer at the IPL 2022 auction even though they know he wouldn't play that campaign.
Archer finally made his MI debut in IPL 2023 and appeared to be off-color. In five matches, he scalped only two wickets at an economy rate of 9.5, with quite a few batters taking a liking to the usually unhittable fast bowler. The Englishman's body then broke down, cutting short yet another full season and leaving MI without any real firepower in the pace attack.
Archer is eating up a significant portion of the team's budget and has played just five games over the last two seasons. While the prospect of him bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah is tantalizing, it might be time for MI to abandon their fantasies and look at the reality in front of them.