IPL 2022 auction: 3 overseas players Mumbai Indians could target in the auction
The Mumbai Indians (MI) have been the most successful teams in the history of the IPL and won the tournament on five occasions.
The team have retained Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah for the IPL 2022 season and will look to build a team around the said players.
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Ladies & gentlemen, the retained ones! ๐๐ฅ
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MI has not retained the likes of Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya who have played a huge role in their success in the past.
The mega IPL 2022 auction scheduled for the 12th and 13th February 2022 could see the following 3 international players being bought the Mumbai Indians.
#3 Nicholas Pooran
The West Indian wicket-keeper batsman could be one of the top choices in the 2022 IPL auction. MI have not retained Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan and will be on the hunt for a keeper-batsman.
Pooran is an aggressive middle-order batsman and a handy wicket-keeper. He had a decent IPL 2020 when he scored 353 runs at an average of 35.30 and a strike rate of 169.71.
He struggled to get going for Punjab Kings in IPL 2021 and could score just 85 runs in 11 innings. Pooran has not been retained by the Punjab Kings for IPL 2022.
The Mumbai side could back Pooran considering the fact that he was the deputy to Kieron Pollard in ICC T20 World Cup 2021. He could play the dual role of a wicket-keeper and a finisher for the Indians. Pooran has an excellent strike rate of 154.99 in 31 IPL innings and could be in demand at the mega-auction.
#2 Mitchell Starc
The Mumbai team management prefers to have a pool of experienced pace bowlers in their squad. The likes of Lasith Malinga, Trent Boult and McClenaghan have all tasted success for the franchise in the past.
Mitchell Starc could be on the team's radar at the mega-auction. The very prospect of Bumrah and Starc bowling together in a T20 game will be an exciting one for fans of the franchise.
Mitchell Starc is contemplating a return to the IPL for the first time since 2015 - if he does sign up for the auction which team(s) should bid for him? #Starc #Australia #IPLauction #indianpremierleague #IPL2022 #fastbowler #bids
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Starc is one of the best bowlers in the T20 format and has picked up 34 IPL wickets at an average of 20.38 in 27 matches. He has an economy rate of just 7.17 in the tournament, which is exceptional considering he bowls in the powerplay overs and at the death.
Starc is also a handy batsman lower down the order and can play an aggressive knock when the situation demands it. The Mumbai Indians would love to have Starc in their team and the left-handed pacer could be the perfect replacement for Boult in IPL 2022.
#3 Shakib Al Hasan
The Mumbai Indians are likely to miss the services of Krunal Pandya in IPL 2022. Krunal played the perfect role of a finisher with the bat and could slip in some handy overs in the middle-overs of a match. Shakib is a far more experienced all-rounder than Krunal Pandya in international cricket and is one of the best in world cricket at present.
Shakib Al Hasan has played 71 IPL games and has picked up 63 wickets at an average of 29.19 and an economy rate of 7.44. He is one of the few spinners who has often bowled with the new ball in the tournament.
With the bat, Shakib Al Hasan has 793 runs in the IPL at a strike rate of 124.49. He could be the perfect player to bat in the number 3 or number 4 position for Mumbai Indians. Shakib can play the role of an accumulator and/ or the aggressor depending on the situation.