IPL 2023 Auction: SWOT Analysis of Mumbai Indians (MI)
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) seemed determined to change most things that went wrong last season in the IPL 2023 auction. They finished rock-bottom for the first time in IPL history and faced a lot of scrutiny for their weak bowling attack.
Although Mumbai bought Jofra Archer last year, they knew he wouldn't be available for the following season. Many felt that this somewhat affected their plans of snapping up other quality bowling options and that reflected in their results, winning just four games all season.
Nevertheless, MI did find some gems like Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis, and Tim David, who will certainly become a crucial part of their core for the foreseeable future. Mumbai had to replace Kieron Pollard, who decided to retire from the IPL, and broke the bank for Australia's Cameron Green with a whopping INR 17.5 crore winning bid.
MI also made some other smart buys and on that note, let's have a detailed analysis of how the squad looks after the IPL 2023 auction:
Strength: Explosive batting & gun fast bowling options
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With the likes of Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and the aforementioned young stars already retained, Camron Green's addition makes the MI batting look even more threatening.
Green was sensational for Australia at the top of the order in their recent T20I series against India and that probably caught the eyeballs of many IPL teams. If Mumbai can find the right role for him in the middle order, the prospect of him and Tim David finishing the innings could be irresistible.
The Mumbai Indians didn't have a lot of quality in their fast bowling last season, and that is one area where they have focused. Having retained Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer, MI traded in Jason Behrendorff and also snapped up Jhye Richardson for the base price.
This gives the five-time champions plenty of options and depth in quality in the pace department as they have traditionally used two overseas fast bowlers alongside Bumrah.
Weakness: Spin-bowling department
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Ever since the Mumbai Indians lost the services of Rahul Chahar in last year's mega auction, they haven't been able to find a wrist spinner of his quality. They did have the likes of Murugan Ashwin and Mayank Markande last year, but they failed to have much of an impact.
The MI scouts have been at it once again, signing young leg-spinning prodigy Nehal Wadhere from Punjab. They have also added the experience of World Cup winner Piyush Chawla and Mumbai's left-arm spinner Shams Mulani.
However, when you look past Kumar Kartikeya and Hrithik Shokeen, it looks like the spin department isn't that strong. This is one area that could cost them if they play crucial games on turners or dry pitches.
Opportunity: Big chance for Ishan Kishan & Cameron Green
Ishan Kishan did have a tough IPL 2022 season as his strike rate was under a bit of scrutiny. However, his recent sensational double hundred in the ODI series against Bangladesh might have suddenly propelled him into the race for the opener's spot in the 2023 World Cup.
The young southpaw did miss out on the T20 World Cup this year, but with the management likely to look towards the future, Ishan has a great opportunity to have a strong IPL 2023 season and cement his place in the Indian white-ball setup.
Cameron Green might feel a bit of pressure in filling the big shoes of Kieron Pollard. However, if he starts firing in all departments, he could soon become one of the stars of the league for years to come.
Taking inspiration from Shane Watson's development at Rajasthan Royals, Green can also propel his hopes of playing in all three formats for Australia consistently.
Threat: Injury scare to Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer
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Jasprit Bumrah has been the heartbeat of the Mumbai Indians’ pace attack for quite a while now and he and Archer are a combination that fans are itching to see. However, both bowlers will be back from long injury lay-offs and that could possibly be a threat to Mumbai if they fail to maintain their fitness.
Bumrah aggravated his injury against Australia and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup. His workload needs to be managed properly, but they don't quite have a quality Indian backup for the star pacer. Only time will tell whether the likes of Akash Madhwal and Arshad Khan can step up if needed.