IPL 2023 auction review: Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians team [Source: Twitter]

The IPL 2023 mini-auction conducted on Friday saw plenty of exciting names going under the hammer. A cut-throat competition was seen among the ten franchises, who had arrived in Kochi in pursuit of making their respective squads invincible. 

The five-time champions Mumbai Indians entered the auction table with INR 20.55 Crores in their purse. They bought some really impactful players, who are expected to ensure balance in their star-studded team. 

So, let's analyse and assign MI a score out of 10 based on their performance in the auction. 

What were MI's primary needs to fulfil? 

MI already have a power-packed batting lineup comprising Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs. 

So, all they needed was a good all-rounder who could be valuable, especially at the Wankhede, with both bat and ball. 

Besides this, they needed an excellent Indian spinner, who they could draft straight into their playing XI at any time in the tournament. 

Positives: Invested in a young seam bowling all-rounder and formed a scary fast bowling unit

The available first-choice options for the all-rounder's role were Sam Curran, Cameron Green and Ben Stokes. Considering their immense value in both departments, these three players could be blockbuster picks for any T20 team. 

MI's approach in the auction was spot on, as they went till INR 18.25 Crores for Sam Curran, only to lose the bidding war to Punjab Kings. However, after missing Curran, they finally got their newest marquee recruit, Cameron Green, for a whopping INR 17.50 Crores. 

Many people were surprised by Green's selling price, but it was an understandable move from MI, considering Green would be lethal as not only a batter but also a seamer on Wankhede's bouncy wicket. 

Another excellent buy for MI came in the form of Jhye Richardson, who I think is a steal for just INR 1.50 Crores. They needed a quality backup for Jofra Archer, and Richardson was the best they could get in the auction. 

Additionally, Vishnu Vinod was a perfect backup for Ishan Kishan, and they bagged him for only INR 20 Lakhs. 

Negatives: Compromised with the spin unit, yet again!

However, as they spent slightly more on Green, they had to be satisfied with Shams Mulani and Piyush Chawla, alongside Kumar Kartikeya, as their spinners for the IPL 2023. 

The bases are covered (as they have one spinner from each category) and Mulani, being a local player, certainly brings value to the setup. But they could've invested in a young leg spinner, if they wanted to, instead of Chawla. 

Additionally, although Duan Jansen's inclusion was expected, it was unnecessary, as they already had formed a sensational pace battery. With that money, they could've bought a domestic spinner. 

Probable playing XI

Rohit Sharma (C)
Ishan Kishan (WK)
Suryakumar Yadav
Tilak Varma
Cameron Green✈️
Tim David✈️
Ramandeep Singh
Jofra Archer✈️
Jasprit Bumrah
Kumar Kartikeya
Jason Behrendorff✈️

They can replace Ramandeep with Hrithik Shokeen or Shams Mulani on spin-friendly tracks. 

Final Rating: 8/10

Thus, overall, Mumbai's auction performance was satisfactory, but they overemphasised strengthening their pace unit, neglecting the spin department. So, we rate MI 8 out of 10 for their outing in the IPL 2023 mini-auction. 

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