Mumbai Indians have had disappointing seasons the past two years and have released almost a dozen players in preparation for the 2023 IPL auction. The team, led by Rohit Sharma, failed to retain several of their top overseas players after a lackluster performance in the 2022 season. MI has a remaining budget of Rs 20.55 crore for the upcoming mini-auction and there are 9 slots to fill, including 3 overseas players. Mumbai Indians will be looking to make some strategic buys at the auction.
Top 5 Players Mumbai Indians should target in IPL Auction 2023
#1 Sam Curran
Mumbai Indians might replace Pollard with Sam Curran, who can be a useful asset due to his ability to contribute with both bat and ball. Curran’s recent performance in the T20 World Cup has made him a top priority for many teams. He not only became the first specialist bowler to win the Player of the Tournament award but also topped the charts for the most wickets taken in the tournament. With 1533 T20 runs and 137 T20 wickets under his belt, he is certainly a player that any team would love to have. It is expected that Curran will attract a bidding war in the IPL 2023 mini-auction. Mumbai Indians will likely try to acquire his services at any cost, especially since he was previously a part of their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings.
#2 Cameron Green
Mumbai Indians can target Cameron Green in the IPL Auction 2023. Cameron Green is raising eyebrows with his performances for the Australian national team. He’s been plagued by injuries in the past, but he’s been making a strong comeback for himself lately. He had an impressive series against India, where he opened the batting in T20I cricket for the very first time. He hit two half-centuries in three games. Since then, every franchise is eyeing on him.
#3 Ben Stokes
Mumbai Indians can target Ben Stokes in the IPL Auction 2023. In the previous IPL season, Stokes played he was brilliantly with both bat and ball. Ben Stokes has played 43 IPL games in which he scored 920 runs and took 28 wickets. With Kieron Pollard’s recent retirement, Stokes is the most eminent replacement and the plus point is that he can be a proper bowler as well. We expect Ben Stokes to be the highest-bid player in IPL Auction 2023.
#4 N Jagadeesan
Despite the fact that Mumbai Indians paid 15.25 crores for Ishan Kishan in last year’s mega auction, they should still target N Jagadeesan in this year’s mini-auction. This is because if Ishaan Kishan is unavailable for any matches due to injury, Tamil Dadu keeper-batsman N Jagadeesan can provide the same level of services. Jagadeesan’s recent performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy were truly amazing. In 8 innings he smashed 830 runs, including 5 centuries, with 277 being his most impressive and highest score.
#5 Sikandar Raza
The Mumbai Indians should consider signing Sikandar Raza in the 2023 IPL auction. Raza is a phenomenal performer in the short format of the game who has shown tremendous ability in both batting and bowling throughout his career. In 158 T20s, he has scored 3109 runs while taking 79 wickets. He was excellent in the recently concluded 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Raza is quite economical, especially in the aftermath of powerplays. If the Mumbai Indians are unable to acquire the services of Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, or Cameron Green, then Raza would be an excellent target.