3 replacements MI can consider if Jhye Richardson is ruled out of IPL 2023
Jhye Richardson, who was picked up by the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for ₹1.5 Cr, is likely to miss the upcoming season due to a recurring hamstring injury.
Richardson was initially injured during the Big Bash League (BBL), due to which he missed a significant part of the campaign. He has also missed a few matches in the Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield due to injury.
Jhye Richardson was named in Australia's ODI squad, which will take on India in a three-match series, starting on March 17. He has now been ruled out of the rubber and his participation in IPL 2023 also remains doubtful. This is another huge blow for the five-time champions as they are likely to miss the services of India's premier fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
On that note, we look at three replacements MI can consider if Jhye Richardson is ruled out of IPL 2023.
#1 Adam Milne
Adam Milne went unsold in the IPL 2023 auction that took place in December. The New Zealander seamer, who listed himself at ₹2 crore, couldn't attract attention from any of the 10 franchises. If Jhye Richardson is ruled out of the IPL, the MI management could try availing the services of Milne.
Milne has played 10 games in the IPL for different franchises like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and even MI. Milne's career has been disrupted quite a lot because of injuries, which is why he hasn't been able to play too many games.
However, he comes with the experience of 145 T20 games, which could be crucial for the Mumbai Indians.
#2 Tom Curran
Tom Curran, who had a base price of ₹75 lakh, surprisingly went unsold at the IPL auction. Curran is a death-overs specialist and is a prominent name in many franchise leagues, which makes his non-selection difficult to understand.
Mumbai Indians could look at the young Englishman in case they need a replacement for Jhye Richardson.
Curran has featured in 13 IPL games for three different franchises, picking up as many wickets. He is also a handy batter lower down the order, which is an added bonus. He is currently plying her trade for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.
#3 Riley Meredith
Much like Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith is also someone who has a lot of pace, which makes him a like-for-like replacement. Meredith has played 13 games in the IPL, picking up 12 wickets in the process. He was first picked by the Punjab Kings in 2021 and was handed five opportunities in which he was quite expensive.
In 2022, he was part of the Mumbai Indians and played eight games for the franchise, picking up as many wickets. His performance was much better as compared to 2021.
In the 2022-23 Big Bash League, he picked up 21 wickets from 14 appearances and was sixth in the wicket-taking charts, meaning that he has been in good form of late.