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5 overseas players Mumbai Indians could target in IPL 2021 Auction

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Mustafizur Rahman and Glenn Maxwell
Photo: BCCI/IPL

The IPL 2021 Auction will most probably happen next month. Ahead of the mini-auction, all eight teams have declared their respective retained players and released players. There have also been three-player transfers in the IPL 2021 Trade Window, with Daniel Sams, Harshal Patel, and Robin Uthappa being the three players who moved to other franchises.

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The Mumbai Indians are the two-time defending champions heading into IPL 2021. They won their fourth crown in 2019 and retained it in 2020. Still, the Mumbai-based franchise has let go of many overseas players. They have released Nathan Coulter-Nile, Lasith Malinga, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell McClenaghan, and James Pattinson ahead of the auction.

MI have opened up multiple overseas slots with the aforementioned releases. Here are the five foreign stars they might target to fill up those positions.

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5. Glenn Maxwell

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Glenn Maxwell’s services will be a hot commodity in the IPL Auction 2021. The batting all-rounder returned to form in the limited-overs series versus Team India.

Since he had a disastrous IPL 2020 season in the UAE, the Kings XI Punjab did away with him before IPL 2021 Auction. The Mumbai Indians had previously signed Glenn Maxwell for a whopping USD 1 Million. They could go after him again because the flat track at the Wankhede Stadium is tailor-made for his attacking style.

4. Nathan Coulter-Nile

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Nathan Coulter-Nile received a contract worth INR 8 Crore from the Mumbai Indians in IPL Auction 2020. The decision to splurge such a high amount for the Aussie pacer raised many eyebrows.

Since MI had other pace bowlers like Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult, they did not use Coulter-Nile much. He played seven games, where he scalped five wickets. As he bowled a decent spell in the IPL 2020 Final, Nathan could receive another deal from MI, albeit at a lower price.

3. Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan has impressed the cricket universe with his batting performances in the game’s shortest format. Malan holds the world record for the highest T20I rating points by a batsman in ICC Rankings history.

He has also done an excellent job in the various T20 leagues across the world. Malan might be present on MI’s wishlist because he will enjoy batting on the flat pitch at the Wankhede Stadium.

2. Mujeeb ur Rahman

Chris Gayle and Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Photo: Mujeeb Ur Rahman/Instagram

Last year, many fans felt the Mumbai Indians did not have a stellar spin-bowling attack. Their batting and fast-bowling were their primary strengths.

However, in the spin attack, they had the trio of Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, and Rahul Chahar. While all three Indian spinners are match-winners, adding Mujeeb ur Rahman to the team will bolster MI’s spin attack. Mujeeb could not perform well for KXIP but he has an extraordinary record for a 19-year-old in T20s. Thus, MI could go after him.

1. Mustafizur Rahman

Lasith Malinga has quit franchise cricket. Mitchell McClenaghan, Sherfane Rutherford, James Pattinson, and Nathan Coulter-Nile have returned to the auction pool. So, MI does not have a solid back-up option for Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.

Last year, MI used two overseas pacers in their lineup. So, their former player Mustafizur Rahman could take up that vacant position. In case you didn’t know, MI wanted Rahman as a replacement in IPL 2020. However, BCB denied an NOC. This year, Rahman could return to MI and trouble the batsmen with his left-arm pace.