Mumbai Indians who have been the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL as they have won five titles in 14 years managed to get back Ishan Kishan at 15.25 CR in the Mega Auction. They had already retained the likes of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kieron Pollard before the Auction. Mumbai Indians were the most patient franchise in the Auction as they didn’t pick many players on Day 1.
On Day 2 they started spending money and ended up with a squad of 25 players. They spent a lot of money on a couple of overseas players and as a result, had to compromise with the Indian bowling resources. They will have only seven overseas players available this season as Jofra Archer who they bought at 8 CR will be available only from the next season. Still, it won’t be an easy task to pick four out of those seven overseas players. So let us have a look at the four overseas players who could start for MI.
1. Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard is their only overseas retained player and he will surely be one of the four overseas players for MI in IPL 2022. Pollard has been part of the MI franchise since 2010 and has helped them win multiple titles over the years. Every year, Pollard produces magical innings where he wins a game from absolutely nowhere.
In the last season, he scored 87 off just 34 balls as MI chased down a 210+ total. His performance has been a bit volatile at the international level but MI fans will be hoping that he is ready to deliver for the Mumbai Indians.
2. Tim David
Tim David who is from Singapore will be part of the Mumbai Indians franchise for IPL 2022. MI paid 8.25 CR for him in the Auction and so he should be one of the four overseas players for MI. The 25-year-old right-handed batsman is a hard-hitting finisher and he has done this job in various T20 leagues. He has been picked to fill the void created by Hardik Pandya.
Over the last 12 months, he has shown his skill in the CPL, BBL, and most recently in the PSL as well. He has a T20 strike rate of 159.37 with more than 1900 runs. Apart from this, he can also bowl a few overs of off-break which is always a bonus in the shorter formats. It will be exciting to watch a player like Tim David in the IPL.
3. Fabian Allen
Mumbai Indians don’t have many quality spinners and even though Fabian Allen isn’t a great T20 spinner he has played at the international level and so should be one of the four overseas players for MI. Allen bowls left-arm orthodox and is a great fielder. He has been in and out of the West Indies team but he has enough experience in the CPL and at the international level.
Allen is a fearsome finisher and can bat at 7 and smash big sixes. Last year against Australia he was smashing the Australian bowlers for fun. Mumbai Indians picked the West Indian all-rounder at his base price of 75 Lakh.
4. Tymal Mills
MI’s love for left-arm fast bowlers is well documented. In the earlier seasons, they had the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jason Behrendorff, and Trent Boult. This time they have bought in England left-arm pacer Tymal Mills.
Mills was part of the IPL in 2017 but didn’t click for RCB. Since then, he is a much fit and much more improved bowler. He has been brilliant at the death, over the last few years. He bowls with pace and will form a great combination with Jasprit Bumrah. Some experts are reckoning that Mills at 1.5 CR is a steal for MI.
