“If you make so many compromises, you will get found out” - Aakash Chopra blames auction strategy for Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2022 horror show
Aakash Chopra feels Mumbai Indians’ (MI) chances of having a good IPL 2022 suffered a major setback even before the current season began. The former Indian batter attributed Mumbai's disastrous ongoing campaign to some extremely poor choices made during the mega auction in February.
Mumbai are the only team yet to win a single match in IPL 2022 so far. They have lost eight out of eight. No other franchise in the history of the T20 competition have lost their first eight matches. The previous worst losing streak was six, jointly held by the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
In a question-and-answer session on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked about the major causes of Mumbai’s downfall. Punching holes in the franchise's auction strategy, he explained:
“There is a big question mark over the auction strategy. There was a forward-thinking plan as they bought Jofra Archer for ₹8 crore, knowing very well that he wouldn't be available for this season. They went for Ishan Kishan at all costs, which meant they couldn’t buy Trent Boult and Quinton de Kock. Neither could they go for good spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal or Rahul Chahar. If you make so many compromises, somewhere you will get found out.”
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Mumbai retained skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard ahead of the auction, releasing Trent Boult, Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal as well as Quinton de Kock.
“They have one-skilled players” - Aakash Chopra on MI’s lack of versatility
The 44-year-old pointed to the lack of multi-dimensional players as another key shortcoming in the current MI squad. He explained that Mumbai haven’t been able to find suitable replacements for all-rounders, adding that the bowling too is very weak. Chopra explained:
“Everyone is trying but I am not enjoying their bowling personally. Also, there is no balance in the squad. Their strength was a good batting-bowling combination. They had Hardik, Krunal and Pollard. Now, they have one-skilled players. Pollard doesn’t bowl a lot and none of the bowlers bat. So that balance has gone for a toss.”
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After being released by MI, Hardik was picked up by the Gujarat Titans (GT) and named captain. Krunal and De Kock, meanwhile, are now part of the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
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