"Mumbai Indians' bowling looks a little weak to me" - Wasim Jaffer
Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer said that Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to have concerns with the bowling department. He believes so after the conclusion of the IPL Auction 2023 on Friday, December 23, in Kochi.
The five-time IPL champions made a total of eight purchases in the mini-auction to push their squad strength to 24 for the next IPL season in 2023.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was the biggest deal made by Mumbai Indians in the history of the IPL auction. They bought him for a whopping sum of INR 17.50 crore, the second most expensive purchase in the IPL Auction 2023.
Mumbai Indians finished bottom of the points table in IPL 2022, having won just four out of 14 matches. Bowling was considered an area the team lacked despite the presence of Jasprit Bumrah. He is currently recovering from a back injury sustained in September 2022.
Mumbai Indians purchased England speedster Jofra Archer in IPL 2022 for a sum of INR 8 crore. The franchise retained him despite missing the entire season last year due to injury.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Wasim Jaffer pointed out that Bumrah and Archer might not be at their best after returning from injuries. He also called MI's bowling as weak for the next edition of IPL 2023.
Jaffer said:
"There’s a question mark over the fast bowlers' fitness. Jofra Archer is gonna come after a long time, and Bumrah as well. If they don’t play all their games, then there’s a question mark, the spin department is very light."
He added:
"So, again I think Rohit Sharma will be scratching his head. The bowling looks a little weak to me but other than that, I feel they’ll be relying very heavily on their batting."
"Mumbai Indians have done exceptionally well" - Tom Moody on IPL Auction 2023
Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody, who was also Sunrisers Hyderabad's coach until 2022, appreciated MI's decision to include Australian quick Jhye Richardson in the squad.
Moody believes that the Perth Scorchers pace bowler will be a suitable backup option for Archer in the team.
Moody said:
"They’ve done exceptionally well. We’re assuming that Jofra Archer is gonna be fit. If he’s fit with that squad, that changes the whole dynamic. He and Bumrah are a pretty special combination. They picked up Jhye Richardson for an absolute steal. So, if they do have issues with Jofra Archer, they’ve got the ability to bring him into the contest."
Mumbai Indians also have Jason Behrendorff, Green, Akash Madhwal, Arshad Khan and Arjun Tendulkar in the pace department. They also have some quality spinners in Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Shams Mulani and the rejoining of veteran Piyush Chawla.