Mumbai Indians missed every mark at the IPL 2022 Auction and then again, they repeated same mistakes at the IPL 2023 auction. Paying Rs 17.5 Crore for Cameron Green but the five-time champions have finally hit the mark at the IPL 2024 Auction with some sound buys and calculated risks. Under new captain Hardik Pandya, MI will aim to reclaim their glory days and new head coach Mark Boucher believes the squad will be on the money.
“Really happy with the overseas pacers we have gotten,” Mark Boucher said after the IPL 2024 auction, adding that the team got most of their major targets.
The major difference was in their approach. While they wanted to land Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc to aid Jasprit Bumrah, they failed to get both. However, they never went overboard. Instead, they landed South African Gerald Coetzee who was been excellent in India in the World Cup. And tehy only shelled out Rs 5 Cr for the fast-bowling all-rounder.
Furthermore, they added two fast bowlers from Sri Lanka in Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka. Thushara is another slinger while MAdushanka was one of the top wicket-takers of World Cup. With Lasith Malinga back as the bowling cnsultant, Mumbai Indians would be happy.
“We were surprised that we got both of them at a very cheap price. We are really happy with the two international picks we have gotten so far,” Mark Boucher said.
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“We made the decision to go for him because he is a young, up and coming superstar. He is a three phase bowler. He swings the new ball nicely and has good change ups at the death. The selection is purely on the basis of what he has been doing of late and I’m sure he’ll add a lot of value to our team,” he added.
Another value for money player Shreyas Gopal would be another auction pick to be proud of. Spin has been a troubling department for MI and with Shreyas Gopal coming in, he can not only aid Chawla but also add batting depth. MI also added Afghan off-spin all-rounder Mohammad Nabi to bolster spin department.
“Shreyas has been around for a very long time. We feel he’ll be very good back up to Piyush. He has a lot of experience, so is a very good option,” Boucher added.
Mumbai Indians Full Squad:
Auction Picks: Gerald Coetzee (Rs 5 Cr), Nuwan Thushara (Rs 4.8 Cr), Dilshan Madushanka (Rs 4.6 Cr), Anshul Kamboj (Rs 20 lakh), Naman Dhir (Rs 20 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (Rs 20 lakh), Mohammad Nabi (Rs 1.5 crore), Shivalik Sharma (Rs 20 Lakh)
Retained players: Rohit Sharma (Rs 16 Cr), Dewald Brevis (Rs 3 Cr), Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 8 Cr), Ishan Kishan (Rs 15.25 Cr), Tilak Varma (Rs 1.7 Cr), Vishnu Vinod (Rs 20 Lakh), Arjun Tendulkar (Rs 30 lakh), Shams Mulani (Rs 20 lakh), Nehal Wadhera (Rs 20 Lakh), Jasprit Bumrah (Rs 12 Cr), Kumar Kartikeya (Rs 20 lakh), Piyush Chawla (Rs 50 lakh), Akash Madhwal (Rs 20 lakh), Jason Behrendorff (Rs 75 lakh), Hardik Pandya (Rs 15 Cr), Romario Shepherd (Rs 50 Lakh)
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