3 teams that should target Wanindu Hasaranga in the IPL 2024 auction ft. Mumbai Indians
Leg-spinners are a hot commodity in the IPL. Three out of the top five wicket-takers in the tournament's history are leg-spinners.
Generally, their role is to attack and take wickets at all costs. But if the bowler can also bat a bit, field well, and hold onto his own defensively, he becomes an almost undroppable asset.
That is what makes Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s decision to release Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga all the more questionable. Most believe RCB need a leg-spinner for their bowler-unfriendly home ground more than most other teams. They had one who could do it all, and who was always looking to improve in the format.
At ₹10.75 crore he wasn't a steal, but Hasaranga picked up 26 wickets in 16 matches in 2022 and followed up with nine from eight matches in 2023. His injury concerns were recently papered over by a local Sri Lankan report that said he was fit midway through the 2023 World Cup but was just not allowed to play.
Given the massive purses of a lot of teams ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and a few sparse bowling attacks, we might see another bidding war for the Sri Lankan. Following are the three teams that should be the most interested in Hasaranga:
#3 Punjab Kings
It's no surprise that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) had the second-highest bid when RCB snapped up Hasaranga in 2021. Since then, Punjab have struggled for adequate spin options, an issue that was accentuated when they lost Ravi Bishnoi.
Last season, PBKS looked batting heavy for the most part. Lone leg-spinner Rahul Chahar didn't have the best of seasons and the orthodox options just never clicked well together.
Hasaranga hits two birds with one stone. In him, PBKS will get a decent lower-order batter who can hit big off spin while batting with Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran. He would also, of course, provide support to Chahar on the bowling front.
The addition of Hasaranga will help PBKS' balance and give them a better wicket-taking option in the middle overs. Chahar has worked on his batting as well; if he contributes, PBKS will have one of the strongest tails in the tournament.
#2 Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have an opportunity to take a title-winning bowling attack to an even higher level. Having released Ben Stokes, they have more than enough funds to get Hasaranga in the IPL 2024 auction.
At CSK, the leggie will team up with his national side partners Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana, who were brilliant for the franchise last season. Hasaranga could be a good rotation option with the latter or Moeen Ali, depending on the conditions.
At Chepauk, a bowling attack of Hasaranga, Theekshana, Moeen and Ravindra Jadeja would be almost impregnable. The Sri Lankan's arrival would also reduce some of Moeen's bowling workload and help him focus more on his batting. It would also give an already good batting lineup a big tail to back it up.
#1 Mumbai Indians
It'd be a massive surprise if Mumbai Indians (MI) didn't go hard for Hasaranga in IPL 2024 auction. It just makes a whole lot of sense for them, perhaps more than any other side in the league.
First of all, the five-time champions were short in that department last season and had to rely on veteran Piyush Chawla (who does more punditry than playing cricket now) to get them wickets. Their domestic spin options were impressive in patches but never good enough to compete with the best.
The Cameron Green-Hardik Pandya switch frees an overseas slot in the playing 11, which can be used to get Hasaranga in. That would enhance the quality of the MI bowling attack manifold and give them depth in the batting lineup too.