IPL 2020: 3 players Mumbai Indians will look to replace at the upcoming auction
Mumbai Indians became the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL when they defeated Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 final.
They had finished the league stage at the top spot after being the most consistent team throughout the tournament. Mumbai had the most balanced squad of all; they had retained their core in the 2018 mega auction and bought some decent backup players in 2019, which helped prepare them for any eventuality.
Despite having the strongest squad in the tournament though, a champion team like Mumbai would want to improve even further at the upcoming auction. They can do that by releasing some players who did not perform well in the 2019 IPL edition, and buying some better value-for-money players.
MI need to look into overseas all-rounders and bowlers to add more depth to the squad. A long tournament like the IPL can result in fatigue and injuries to the players, and better squad depth would allow Mumbai to once again go deep into the tournament.
The defending champions are not known to release a lot of players, but they could get rid of some surplus resources who underperformed in IPL 2019. There's also one player who has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, and thus will not be available next year.
On that note, here are three players that Mumbai Indians would look to replace at the upcoming auction.
Also see – Mushtaq Ali Trophy points table
#3 Ben Cutting
IPL 2019 performance: M - 3, R - 18, W - 1
Ben Cutting was roped in by the Mumbai Indians for a hefty amount of Rs. 2.2 crore in the IPL 2018 auctions. The hard-hitting all-rounder was the man of the match in the 2016 final, as he helped take SRH to their first IPL title.
Cutting played three matches for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019 and managed to score just 18 runs. His bowling wasn't great either, and right now it is difficult to see how he fits into the team.
Cutting was seen as a long-term replacement for Kieron Pollard, but the Australian all-rounder has not been able to live up to the expectations. With heavy competition from all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, Cutting would find it difficult to find a place in the starting XI consistently.
After a poor show of form, it is likely that Mumbai Indians will part ways with Cutting this year.