Day 1 Frustrations finally pay off as Mumbai Indians bounce back to build a strong core

Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League since its inception in 2008. The side has won five league titles, which is the highest by any franchise to date. Coming into the IPL Mega Auction 2022, the five-time champions will build a squad that can help them clinch their sixth title, after being unable to qualify for the playoffs last season.

The team managed to secure a strong core unit consisting of skipper Rohit Sharma, strike bowler Jaspreet Bumrah, Kieron Pollard, and Suryakumar Yadav in the retention phase heading into the auction. Mumbai have been firm in their auction strategies as they have looked to retain most of their core players just like their arch-rival, Chennai Super Kings.

Most of the fans were utterly surprised by Mumbai’s strategy from the first day of the auction as they only signed four players to their side spending over ₹21.15 crores in the process. However, the team bounced back strong on the second day to secure some surprising names to their side! Let's take a look at some of the key points from Mumbai’s performance at the auction table.

Lack of Premium Spinners, as Mumbai rely heavily on Murugan Ashwin to do the job

Something that came off as a mind-boggling decision to most of the members of our team was the absence of a premium spinner in the Indians camp this season. The team came out of the auction with just two spinners, we see could make it into the playing XI of the five-time champions. The MI Paltans purchased Murugan Ashwin for ₹1.60 crores on the first day of the auction and followed it up with local boy Mayank Markande on the second day with a final bid of ₹65 lakhs.

With the amount of money the franchise spent on acquiring some of their players, it makes us think hard on why they did not go for Rahul Chahar, who is a tried and tested talent for the franchise, who cost the Punjab Kings just ₹5.25 crores. The team also had the penultimate bid for Yuzvendra Chahal at ₹6.25 crores on day one before the Rajasthan Royals managed to snap up the player for just ₹6.50 crores. The franchise could have also gone for names like Mujeeb Ul Rahman, who surprisingly went unsold this season.

Mumbai will definitely feel the absence of a premium spinner this season, as all the matches are scheduled to be held at two particular venues at Mumbai and Pune, and as the tournament progresses with time, the pitches will slowly wear out with time making it a heaven for the spinners.

Dewald Brevis becomes the highest-paid U19 player this season as “Baby AB” joins the Paltan for ₹3 crores!

Dewald Brevis was one of the biggest talking points from the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2022 that concluded early this month.  The South African youngster is a talent for the ages as one can clearly envision the images of Proteas legend AB de Villiers in the young lad. Brevis was nothing short of stunning in the tournament as he scored 506 runs in 6 games with an outstanding average of 84.33, he can also bring in a bowling option for the skipper as he picked up seven wickets in six games including his two wickets against the Indian side.

Brevis has AB de Villiers 2.0 written all over him as described by his teammates and the national coach for the South African national team. The 18-year old can tonk the bowlers across the park and what better way to prove his worth than to perform at the biggest stage of them all. We all hope that Dewald Brevis does indeed have a great season with the Mumbai Indians, as he is one of the biggest prospects in the world of cricket at the current day and time.

Thinking into the future, Mumbai Indians secure Jofra Archer to pair up with Jaspreet Bumrah!

Just think of it, Jaspreet Bumrah from one end and Jofra Archer from the other. This feels like a fantasy lineup jackpot for the Mumbai Indians as they have managed to secure perhaps two of the best pacers in the current time. Both Bumrah and Archer are lethal with the new ball and have the ability to cripple any batting order across the globe.

Both the bowlers are equally effective in the death overs and can turn the tides of the game in towards their side. While Jofra Archer will not be available for the upcoming season, we will see the player in the next edition of the Indian Premier League. Jofra Archer at just ₹8 crores is one of the best buys we witnessed in the auction this year.

With an eye towards the future, Mumbai go all guns blazing for Tim David!

Mumbai were spoiled for choices during the retention phase as they were filled up with superstars to the brim. The franchise with a heavy heart decided to part ways with the Pandya brothers before the auction as they decided to rely on big man Kieron Pollard as their key all-rounder. Hardik Pandya was quickly snapped by the Gujarat Titans during the retention phase of the tournament leaving the team with just Krunal.

However, it was the Lucknow Super Giants who came in with a big sum of ₹8.25 crores for the elder Pandya and snapped him up from right under the nose of the Mumbai Indians. With all of their former players out of options, Mumbai have perhaps made one of their best deals this season as they acquired Singapore’s Tim David for a whopping price tag of ₹8.25 crores.

David has been stunning all across the globe for various franchises, making a big name for himself in the process. The player has scored 1908 runs in 85 games in various leagues with a staggering strike rate of 159.39 and an average of 34.69. These are some tremendous numbers for a player who bats at number six! He can also pitch in with his ability to bowl as he has 25 wickets to his name in 85 games.

Tim David seems like a perfect replacement for Kieron Pollard who has been a part of the Mumbai Indians since the early days. The Trinidadian is now 34 years of age and it feels like a perfect time to groom someone like Tim David who’s just 25 and can give you a lot of cricket in the years to come.

Mumbai go all-out for Ishan Kishan for a whooping ₹15.25 crores, making him the most expensive wicketkeeper of all time!

Ishan Kishan has been the biggest story coming out of the IPL Mega Auction 2022 as the Mumbai Indians spent a staggering amount of ₹15.25 crores for the young Indian wicket-keeper to re-sign him with the franchise. Kishan is definitely one of the biggest prospects in the nation at the moment and can be one of the best if nurtured properly.

Kishan solves the opening woes for the Mumbai Indians after missing out on Quinton De Kock. Kishan can bat at the top of the order alongside Rohit Sharma, which will allow the franchise to use Dewald Brevis at number three and Suryakumar Yadav at number four.  The franchise has a plethora of all-rounders at their disposal who can easily elongate their batting order.