The Mumbai Indians made the second-biggest purchase of not just the IPL 2023 auction, but of all IPL auctions, when they splashed INR 17.5 crore out of their purse of INR 20.55 crore on Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the auction last month.
Their other purchases at the IPL 2023 auction were 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), and Jason Behrendorff (traded in from RCB).
The most successful team in the IPL history, Mumbai Indians, suffered a poor IPL 2022 season, where, for the first time, they ended at the bottom of the points table.
The five-time champions, however, know how to bounce back, and if they have all their players fit for the IPL 2023, a playoff spot will be the least of the expected.
Here is Mumbai Indians’ likely XI for IPL 2023:
Top 3: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green
The pair of Rohit and Kishan were MI’s first-choice opening pair last season. However, with the addition of Cameron Green, there is a chance that Sharma may push himself at number 3 and unleash Green as the opener. For, it was his two fifties against India while opening that set Green’s T20 career alight.
Middle-order: Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David
SKY, Tilak Varma, and David should be the three middle-order batters from MI. These three were the biggest positives in the batting department for MI in their dull IPL 2022 season, with David not also making into Australia’s T20I side.
All-rounder: Ramandeep Singh
MI will have a tough combination decision to make. Whether they go in with an extra overseas pacer and play both Richardson and Behrendorff or only one of them and play an Indian all-rounder, who is now in South Africa’s T20I side as a finisher.
If they go with both Richardson and Behrendorff, the batting will get slightly thin with Archer at 7. Or they could – and are likely to play one of them – and have an Indian all-rounder at number 7.
Ramandeep Singh, who took 6 wickets in 5 matches in IPL 2022, and also recently took a hat-trick for Punjab at the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Baroda could be a starter as the Indian all-rounder. Ramandeep’s case is stronger than that of leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. MI’s auction acquisition Shams Mulani, who has been doing well in domestic cricket, is another alternative.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Hrithik Shokeen, Richardson/Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah
Both Archer and Bumrah are making their returns to international cricket in January, and the franchise would hope both fast bowlers get to their peak fitness and peak bowling by the time the IPL 2023 starts.
Hritik Shokeen, who can also be handy with the bat, and Kumar Kartikeya, MI’s mystery spinner, both have grown and taken big strides since their IPL debut last year. But perhaps both may not fit in the same XI, especially at the Wankhede where MI will not like playing with more than one specialist spinner.
Richardson and Behrendorff both have been in terrific form in the BBL 2022/23, and are a big upgrade on their pace bowling from last season.
Mumbai Indians’ strong playing XI for IPL 2023:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Ramandeep Singh, Jofra Archer, Hrithik Shokeen, Richardson/Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah
