"It seems they are playing like MS Dhoni" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' tactics on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 Auction

Ishan Kishan was the Mumbai Indians' only big-ticket buy on Day 1 of the auction [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the Mumbai Indians (MI) seemed to be playing the waiting game, much like MS Dhoni on the field of play, on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 Auction.

MI had already retained Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard going into the mega auction. They bought just four more players - Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi and Murugan Ashwin - on the first day of the auction.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra compared the Mumbai-based franchise's tactics to those of Dhoni. He explained:

"They [Mumbai Indians] just saved money for Ishan and spent them on him, which is fine. But as of now, it seems they are playing like MS Dhoni, that they will take the game till the end and then they will start playing."

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the franchise's primary objective was to get back Ishan Kishan. Chopra elaborated:

"They were on a mission to get Ishan Kishan and they got him. It seemed they had not come to the auction at all but when they came, they shone. They picked Ishan Kishan at such a huge sum."

I’m coming home @mipaltan 💙 https://t.co/PBDAxPfZD7

Kishan was the most expensive buy on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 Auction. The five-time champions spent a whopping ₹15.25 crore to acquire his services.

"They were window shopping while waiting for Ishan Kishan" - Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians' tactics

Ishan Kishan brings multiple skills to the table

Aakash Chopra highlighted that MI did bid for a few players but backed out when the prices increased. He observed:

"They were absolutely inactive. They were window shopping while waiting for Ishan Kishan, showed little interest and then opted out. They tried for Quinton de Kock, Rabada and Trent Boult but didn't buy anyone."

The 44-year-old added that the Rohit Sharma-led side will have to concentrate on acquiring bowlers on the second day of the auction. Chopra said:

"It is going to be an interesting day. If we see from the Mumbai Indians' viewpoint, the first day of the auction was 50-50. But it is not over, till it is. Today is going to be very important. They have not been able to assemble the bowlers."

The Mumbai Indians still have ₹27.85 crores remaining in their kitty. However, they are extremely thin in the bowling department, with Bumrah being the only big name as of now.