The IPL 2023 auction ended with the overseas names hogging the limelight. And deservedly: Sam Curran and Cameron Green became the two most expensive players in the IPL history, Ben Stokes is going to CSK, Nicholas Pooran bagged a much bigger deal than the last auction, and Harry Brook became a millionaire in his maiden IPL.
There were plenty of Indian youngsters and uncapped players in the IPL who got picked up by the franchises. Pacers Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar received hefty contracts, and so did senior domestic players Mandeep Singh and KS Bharat.
But there was one player whose acquisition could be a big moment in the Mumbai Indians franchise.
Mumbai Indians’ Shams Mulani is set to make a big splash in IPL 2023
At every IPL auction, there are eyes on the young Indian players that Mumbai Indians buy or go after, for their famed scouting team has given some of the gems of Indian cricket in the past 15 years.
This time, at the IPL 2023 auction, there were smiles and handshakes in the MI camp as they sealed 25-year-old Shams Mulani for his base price of 20 lakh; it seemed that MI expected that other franchises too would bid for Mulani, and they emerged out lucky spending only 20 lakh for Mulani, who is not an unknown figure in the domestic circuit.
MI have made a spate of releases from IPL 2022, including all-rounders Pollard (retired), Daniel Sams, Fabian Allen, and Sanjay Yadav. In Shams Mulani, they have acquired a quality, and experienced all-rounder.
Mulani is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm orthodox spinner – very much like Krunal Pandya – and has decent record in domestic cricket: with the bat, he averages 38 in first-class in 22 matches, and has taken over a 100 wickets at 22. In List-A cricket, the youngster averages 34 with the bat and 30 with the ball.
In T20 cricket, Mulani plays the role of a bowling all-rounder: he’s taken 40 wickets in 35 T20s at an average of 21.
Last season, it was Tilak Varma, the young left-handed batsman, who shone brightly for MI. In IPL 2023, Shams Mulani could make a big impact for the five-time champions and get them back on the winning track.
