IPL 2022: 3 new players Mumbai Indians should try in the remaining matches
Only a hardcore Mumbai Indians (MI) fan can still hope for the team's redemption in this season's IPL. With eight horrendous defeats in as many matches played, their season is spoilt without repair.
After the IPL 2022 auction, everyone knew that the Mumbai Indians squad was not as strong as before. The team was too dependent on some big names. In the bowling department, they had no gun bowler other than Jasprit Bumrah. Jaydev Unadkat, Tymal Mills, and Murugan Ashwin have been no great shakes.
The big names in the top order, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan - the most expensive opening pair in IPL history - have also failed miserably this season. Their finisher, Kieron Pollard, has been out of form also. Still, no one would have imagined them going winless in their first eight matches.
Since they have no chance of making it to the playoffs now, this provides them with a good opportunity to rest some players and try out some new faces in the squad. This will allow them to identify the best set of young players that can be retained in the future and can be developed as a part of the core group.
Here are three new players in the Mumbai Indians squad who should be tested out in the ongoing season of IPL.
Sanjay Yadav
Sanjay Yadav is a budding cricketer from Tamil Nadu, who later moved to Meghalaya. He is an all-rounder who bats left-handed and bowls slow left-arm orthodox, a bit like Indian ace Ravindra Jadeja.
After the auction, he was seen as a replacement for Krunal Pandya due to him having the same skillset as the Baroda all-rounder. Not only can he bowl on some really tight lines with the new ball, but he can also tonk the ball down the order.
It would be really exciting to see how he performs if given a chance in the playing XI.
Mohd Arshad Khan
Mohd Arshad Khan is a left-arm seamer and left-handed batsman who plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket. He was bought by the Mumbai Indians for βΉ20 lakhs. In most of the opportunities he has got so far, he has proven to be a very useful pacer and a handy lower-order batsman.
He shot into the limelight in 2019-20 when he took five wickets and scored 134 runs against Assam after his team was reeling at 87/7. His steady performance in the BCCI's Under-23 VK Naidu tournament, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the same year grabbed the selectors' attention.
The bowling department of Mumbai Indians has delivered very mediocre performances. So, it won't be a bad idea to rest some players like Jayadev Unadkat and Daniel Sams and give Arshad Khan a chance. It would be fascinating to watch him.
Aryan Juyal
Aryan Juyal is a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman who plays for Uttar Pradesh. He was also a part of the Indian squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Juyal was snapped by MI for his base price of βΉ20 lakhs.
Barring Ishan Kishan, he is the only wicketkeeper in the Mumbai Indians squad. Therefore, it becomes very important to see whether he is the right backup wicketkeeper for the team or not. Hence, he should be given a chance to showcase his skills in the upcoming matches.