IPL 2019 Auction: 5 players MI should target
The preparations for the 2019 edition of the IPL are in full swing now. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked all the eight franchises to submit the list of released players by November 15. Some interesting choices have been made by all the franchises.
Mumbai Indians have retained 18 players and released 10 players from their squad. Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the side. Apart from Rohit, the 3-time champions have also retained Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mayank Markande, Aditya Tare, Ishan Kisan, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy, and Suryakumar Yadav.
In the overseas department, the Mukesh Ambani owned franchise retained Kieron Pollard and Evin Lewis of the Windies, Ben Cutting and Jason Behrendorff of Australia, Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne of New Zealand. In addition to this, they have also already acquired South African wicket-keeper batsman Quinton De Kock from the Royal Challengers Bangalore
Mumbai have released a total of 8 players. These include South Africa's Jean-Paul Duminy, Australian fast-bowler Pat Cummins, Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman, and Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya have also been released. Other players that have been released are Saurabh Tiwary, Pradeep Sangwan, Sharad Lumba, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, UP pacer Mohsin Khan and Kerala's MD Nidheesh.
All these changes have left Mumbai a bit thin in the pace bowling department and the spin department. With the auctions likely to be held in mid-December in Jaipur, we take a look at 5 players that Mumbai Indians should target at the auctions:
Note: They will be allowed to buy only one foreigner.
#1 Mohammed Shami:
The Mumbai Indians are paper thin in terms of Indian pace bowling department. They have only Jasprit Bumrah as a recognized Indian fast bowler. However, World Cup 2019 is scheduled straight after the IPL and with captain Virat Kohli publicly stating that he wants his pace spearhead well rested ahead of the World Cup, it is highly likely that Bumrah will be rested for the matches scheduled in the last few weeks of the IPL.
Mumbai can fill that void in the pace bowling department by going after Mohammed Shami at the auctions. Shami was released by the Delhi Daredevils after a dismal show in the 2018 edition of the IPL. However, Shami is a proven match winner with tons of experience.
The fact that Shami is a wicket-taking bowler makes him a hot property at the auctions. With conditions at Wankhede conducive to seam bowling, the Mumbai team management should make him their prime target at the auctions if they are to pose any sort of title challenge.