3 reasons why MI shouldn't have signed Romario Shepherd ahead of IPL 2024
In the first official move ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have roped in all-rounder Romario Shepherd via trade from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Shepherd, who was signed for his base price at the IPL 2023 auction by LSG, has a T20 career strike rate of 150.6. He also averages 23 with the ball in the format and could contribute towards Mumbai's push to increase their trophy count in the cash-rich league.
However, at first glance, there are a few factors that seem to be against the trade. While Shepherd is certainly a dynamic T20 all-rounder, certain questions need to be asked regarding the five-time champions' thinking.
Here are three reasons why MI shouldn't have signed Romario Shepherd ahead of IPL 2024.
#3 MI are already facing a crunch among their overseas players
During IPL 2023, MI relied heavily on their overseas players to produce the goods.
Jofra Archer featured regularly in the XI before suffering a season-ending injury, while Cameron Green lived up to his billing and came up with a prolific campaign. Tim David, in the meantime, won Mumbai a couple of matches with his pyrotechnics in the middle order.
Apart from these three players, MI also have Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis who are vying for middle-order spots among overseas names. There is the possibility that the franchise might release one or more of these players, but the composition of their roster suggests that Romario Shepherd might not be able to break into the first-choice side.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with having backups, but MI could've waited for the auction to find a suitable player. With overseas spots being hard to come by already, Shepherd could warm the bench for most of the upcoming IPL season.
#2 Romario Shepherd is not an IPL-proven player
Romario Shepherd made his IPL debut in the 2022 season. Signed by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a whopping ₹7.75 crore at the auction, he played just three matches before losing his place in the side.
Shepherd picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 10.89 in IPL 2022 and scored 58 runs. SRH understandably wanted to reinvest the money they spent on him elsewhere, and he was released into the 2023 auction pool, from where LSG acquired him at his base price of ₹50 lakh.
Shepherd played just one game, though, bagging a first-ball duck and not bowling. His overall T20 economy rate is above nine and his batting average reads 22.78, hinting at the fact that he isn't a finished product by any stretch of the imagination.
MI can still get the best out of the West Indian but you'd expect a franchise as successful as them to sign only the best, especially via trade.
#1 The impact player rule has reduced the need for such all-rounders
The impact player rule, which came into play for the IPL 2023 season, had a massive impact. All-rounders weren't as important anymore, and teams started using the additional player at their disposal to identify and field more specialists in all departments.
Given the impact player rule, is there place for a player like Romario Shepherd in the IPL? He can swing the new ball, but he is rarely used in that role by the franchises he plays for. The Guyanese cricketer isn't a reliable option at the death and also arguably can't be used up the order to bat in the middle overs.
Shepherd would've been an invaluable addition to a T20 side ahead of the advent of the impact player rule, but as things currently stand, he might not be a great asset.