3 young Indian pacers MI can sign as Jasprit Bumrah's backup in IPL 2023 auction
Jasprit Bumrah has arguably been one of the finest fast bowlers for quite a while now and is a real jewel in the Mumbai Indians (MI) crown.
The speedster has played a crucial role for MI since making his debut in 2013 and took the baton from the great Lasith Malinga as the spearhead of their pace attack. Having already spent 10 seasons with the club, it was almost a no-brainer for MI to retain Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the IPL 2023 season.
But the five-time IPL champions had a horrible season last year, especially in the bowling department, and had to rely heavily on Bumrah. They do have the likes of Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff to provide support this time around, but Jasprit Bumrah's injury woes of late might force MI to make a move for a good backup Indian pacer.
On that note, let's take a look at three such young pacers whom MI can target in the IPL 2023 auction and can groom as a backup for Bumrah:
#3 Shivam Mavi
Shivam Mavi had a poor IPL 2022 season for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), picking up just five wickets at an economy rate of 10.32. However, the speedster probably didn't receive enough game time, getting just six matches.
Injuries have played their role in the development of Mavi, but the youngster still has 30 wickets from 32 IPL games and has also shown flashes of brilliance in domestic cricket.
Mavi is in some fantastic form at the moment, picking up a six-wicket haul in the ongoing Ranji Trophy game against Bengal. He is likely to be on the wishlist of many, given his raw pace and the potential to become a top-class bowler.
#2 Vaibhav Arora
Haryana bowled out for 46 in 20.4 overs by Himachal Pradesh - their lowest total ever in #RanjiTrophy! Vaibhav Arora shines with his opening burst of 4/15. Three wickets for Sidharth Sharma.
Quite a few eyebrows were raised when the Punjab Kings released Vaibhav Arora ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. The youngster made his IPL debut last season and looked quite impressive with the ability to swing the ball both ways.
If MI make a move for him, they can be assured of a powerplay bowler and skipper Rohit Sharma could then save Jasprit Bumrah's overs for the middle overs as well as the death.
Like Mavi, even Arora is in stunning form at the moment and it probably won't be a walk in the park for MI to secure his services.
#1 Yash Thakur
The young pacer that probably comes closest to Jasprit Bumrah's profile is Yash Thakur from Vidarbha. The 23-year-old has made quite a name for himself in domestic cricket as a death-overs specialist and had a sensational Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022.
Thakur was Vidarbha's highest wicket-taker in the tournament and the sixth-highest overall, with 15 wickets from 10 innings at a fantastic economy rate of 7.17. He almost single-handedly took Vidarbha to the semifinals with figures of 4/29 against a pretty strong Delhi side, including defending just nine runs in the last over.
MI has been known for its scouting over the years. One shouldn't be surprised if they go hard for the Vidarbha pacer as he has the potential to emulate Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance in the death overs.