IPL 2023 News: Mumbai Indians suffered their worst-ever finish in the IPL last year – in the 10-team tournament, they finished last.
Consequently, the five-time champions made a wholesale of releases ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, where they then splurged a massive amount of money on one single player: INR 17.5 on Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. In the leftover purse, they pocketed some decent picks, but none of them currently play T20Is for their respective countries.
Mumbai Indians Players bought in IPL 2023 auction:
Cameron Green (INR 17.5 crore), Jhye Richardson (INR 1.5 crore), Piyush Chawla (INR 50 lakh), Duan Jansen (INR 20 lakh), Vishnu Vinod (INR 20 lakh), Shams Mulani (INR 20 lakh), Nehal Wadhera (INR 20 lakh), Raghav Goyal (INR 20 lakh).
MI are already shorn in the fast bowling attack with Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson being ruled out of the tournament and Jofra Archer coming off a long injury layoff. A few of their other overseas stars might also struggle in IPL 2023.
Here are 2 overseas Mumbai Indians stars who might not perform well in IPL 2023:
Dewald Brevis
In his short high-level professional career so far, the performances of the 19-year-old Dewald Brevis have oscillated between the two extremes: spectacular and dour. In the recently-concluded SA20 tournament, playing for MI Cape Town, Brevis scored 235 runs in 10 matches, averaging 26, but at a lowly strike rate of 117.
He produced a couple of entertaining, knocks, but in the rest of the tournament, Brevis had a tough time to get going whenever the pitch offered any hint of assistance to the bowlers or when the bowling attack comprised of high-quality bowlers.
Yes, Brevis, also known as “Baby AB”, is only 19 and has the world to learn and conquer, but at the moment, the prospects of him having a wonderful IPL 2023 look grim.
Jason Behrendorff
Mumbai Indians roped in Jason Behrendorff as a trade from RCB prior to the auction. While doing the trade, they perhaps wouldn’t have thought of him to be leading their pace attack. But, as it now seems to be turning out, in the absence of Bumrah, Jhye, and an injury-prone Archer, Jason Behrendorff will have extra responsibility to replicate his BBL success here in India, for MI in the IPL.
That might be asking a bit too much from the left-arm pacer, who last played in the IPL in 2019: for MI, Jason Behrendorff played 5 matches in 2019, picking up 5 wickets before being dropped from the side.
His success in recent years in the BBL has come on his home grounds in Perth – the WACA and the new Optus Stadium – conditions which are vastly different from those in India, especially during the summer months where the pitches tend to break down, and also there is dew in the night matches. The bounce and movement Behrendorff gets in Australia in the BBL, he’s unlikely to get here in India.
Adding to it, Behrendorff is known for his new-ball specialist skillset, and if he doesn’t get the assistance from the pitch and conditions, he is rendered to be largely ineffective in taking wickets.
Another tough season awaits for the MI pace attack.
Mumbai Indians IPL 2023 Full squad:
- Openers: Rohit Sharma
- Middle order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Dewald Brevis,Tilak Verma
- Wk: Ishan Kishan, Tristan Stubbs, Vishnu Vinod
- All-rounders: Cameron Green, Arjun Tendulkar, Ramandeep Singh, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Hritik Shokeen, Arshad Khan, Duan Jansen
- Spinners: Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Raghav Goyal
- Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal
(Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson have been ruled out of IPL 2023)
