Mumbai Indians suffered their worst-ever IPL season in IPL 2022 as the five-time champions finished at the bottom of the points table. The Rohit Sharma-led unit lost all their first 8 matches and could only manage a total of 4 wins in 14 games.
If not an overhaul, MI would at least need to let go of a number of their players from last season to make space in their purse to make some good buys at the upcoming IPL 2023 auction, which is set to be held in mid-December.
There are several international stars who are currently part of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia who would interest the Mumbai Indians.
Here are 3 players from the T20 World Cup 2022 who might be bought by Mumbai Indians at the IPL 2023 auction:
Cameron Green
Mumbai Indians might even leave out their stalwart Kieron Pollard after his poor performance last season and his aging, and he’s also given up international cricket. Pollard’s shoes are big to fill. But one man which MI is expected to target in the IPL 2023 mini-auction is Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.
The 23-year-old all-rounder made great noises recently when he toured India. Opening the innings, Green smashed 61off 30 balls in Mohali and 52 off 21 in Hyderabad to stun everyone, including the Aussie selectors who added him to the T20 WC squad at the first chance when Josh Inglis got injured.
A lanky lad, Green has also been used to bowl in the powerplay and in the death overs by Australia. Green seems to be the youngster who could attract bids over 10 crore at the mini-auction. And it could come from MI, who also haven’t filled the void left by Hardik Pandya.
Ben Stokes
Another all-rounder who will be on Mumbai’s radar is Ben Stokes. England’s Test skipper, Stokes, has retired from ODIs, which means that he’s likely to return to the IPL to make some big cash.
He’s one of the premier all-rounders in the world, and even though he hadn’t played short format matches this year, England included Stokes in their T20 World Cup squad knowing his pedigree to turn around games with either bat or ball.
In his first-ever IPL season back in 2017, Stokes was the Player of the Tournament, having helped the Rising Pune Supergiant through to the final. Guess what, the Mumbai Indians had bid fiercely for Stokes but could land him in their squad. They might be able to this time and Stokes might play in the MI blue and gold in IPL 2023.
Blessing Muzarabani
After about a decade, another Zimbabwe player could play in the IPL. And that would be fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani. The 26-year-old has been in terrific form in recent times and has cranked his pace up, impressing everyone with his pace, and accurate lines and lengths in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Muzarabani has snapped up 7 wickets in 5 matches in the tournament so far at a remarkable average of 16, also playing a crucial role in Zimbabwe defeating Pakistan.
The fitness of both of MI’s superstar fast bowlers, Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah, is a concern. Currently, both are recovering from injuries and the English fast bowler hasn’t played international cricket since last March.
MI would want to have a proper backup fast-bowling option in their squad to avoid the poor bowling performances from last season. In that case, they may punt on the young Muzarabani.
