Mumbai Indians will be the most disappointed team with regards to the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. They have one of the strongest cores in the competition but will now have to disrupt it. In this article, we discuss players Mumbai Indians must target at IPL 2022 mega auction.
If the retainment rules of previous editions continue, MI would retain Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. Hence, they would have to release the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Trent Boult. Hiring them back will be the first priority while also targeting new players who would make the squad much stronger.
1. Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow is one of the players Mumbai Indians must target for IPL 2022. With Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson likely to be retained, SRH might be forced to release Bairstow. The Englishman would be the perfect addition to Mumbai Indians. Based on the current form, he would be an upgrade to Quinton de Kock. His arrival would make the batting line-up of Mumbai Indians extremely strong.
2. Washington Sundar
The lack of a proper right-arm offie has hurt Mumbai Indians on several occasions. Having a guy like Washington Sundar would be useful for the franchise. RCB would mostly release Washi considering there are other priorities in the franchise. Mumbai Indians can even experiment playing Washi in the top-order and field a more all-round squad.
3. Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has shown that he is a useful asset if he bats in the top order. With QDK likely to be released, Moeen is a good option for opening if Mumbai does not attain the other targets. With the English all-rounder in the squad, Mumbai may not have to think about tinkering their balance to include a right-arm off-spinner in the XI.
4. Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar is one of the players Mumbai Indians must target at the IPL 2022 mega auction. With an established Indian pacer in the ranks, Mumbai can afford to have a well-balanced XI. Moreover, since Chahar is top-class in the power play, Jasprit Bumrah will become more dangerous.
5. Ben Stokes
Yes, Kieron Pollard may play these ‘freakish’ knocks now and then but if you look at his performance, he lacks consistency. If Mumbai Indians would want to replace him, Ben Stokes would be a good option. In fact, both Stokes and Pollard can feature in the XI. This would add terrific balance to the unit. Stokes could be released by RR considering Buttler and Archer would be the better retainment options.
6. Shikhar Dhawan
Delhi Capitals would most likely retain Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw for IPL 2022. In that case, Shikhar Dhawan could be in the auctions. Mumbai Indians must hire him so that they could have one of the best opening duos in Indian cricket at their disposal. Dhawan has been showing good form in recent seasons, and his fitness shows that he can continue this way at least for a few more years.
7. Anrich Nortje
Mumbai Indians have used the strategy of playing two overseas pacers in the XI for the last few seasons. While Trent Boult must be a priority buy-back, MI can target other cricketers for the vacant overseas pacer spot. Anrich Nortje would be a proper signing for the Indians. He has pace and would perfectly complement Bumrah in the bowling unit. Therefore, MI must target him at the IPL 2022 mega auctions.
