Last Updated on 9 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: 4 players MI should retain for IPL 2022 | 4 players Mumbai Indians should look to retain in IPL 2022 Mega Auction
All the teams will be going through all the permutations and combinations as the IPL 2022 Mega Auction is nearing. Teams have to retain four players for IPL 2022 and there won’t be any Right to Match (RTM) cards this time.
5-time champions, Mumbai Indians will be the most affected team as they have a very balanced squad, probably the best in the league. They will have to let go of many good players before the auction, despite their disappointing season.
So without hampering the balance of the squad too much, which four players should MI retain before the mega auction?
Players MI should keep before IPL 2022 Mega Auction
1. Rohit Sharma
Skipper Rohit Sharma without any doubt will be the first player MI will retain. Rohit has been phenomenal for Mumbai as a batter and captain, winning five titles under his leadership. He won the title after being appointed as the captain in mid-season in 2013 after Ricky Ponting stepped down as the captain, and he has not looked back.
Rohit has scored the third-most number of runs in IPL history, with 5,611 runs in 208 innings at an average of 31.17 at a strike-rate of 130.39. He scored 381 runs in 13 games at an average of 29.30 striking at 127.42 in IPL 2021. Rohit is one of the best openers in the world at the moment and will be the first retained player by the Mumbai Indians for IPL 2022.
2. Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah, right now, is amongst the top all format pace bowlers in the world. He is accurate, bowls fast and is a genuine wicket-taker. Bumrah has picked 130 wickets in 106 games at an economy of 7.41, with an average of 23.03 and strike rate of 18.63.
In IPL 2021, he picked 21 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 7.45, shining bright in a disappointing campaign for MI. His death bowling is arguably the best in the tournament and there is no second thoughts about Mumbai retaining him.
3. Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard is one of the best players of T20 cricket and has been the big match player for Mumbai Indians. He has always performed when Mumbai needed him, with memorable performances in IPL finals and knockouts.
He has scored 3,268 runs in 160 matches at an average of 29.98 and strike rate of 149.77. Pollard scored 245 runs in 13 innings in IPL 2021, averaging 30.62 at a strike-rate of 148.48.
The Caribbean star is one of the best lower-order batters in the shortest format and has won games single-handedly from impossible looking situations. Pollard has been one of the core members of the Mumbai Indians squad and he should be the one and only overseas player Mumbai will retain for IPL 2022.
4. Ishan Kishan
Mumbai should retain Ishan Kishan over Suryakumar Yadav, and it will be a very tough call for the MI management to pick one between Hardik Pandya and Ishan.
But, Ishan should get the edge as Hardik is having some serious fitness issues at the moment and his batting form hasn’t been up to the mark as well. Kishan is an Indian wicket-keeper batsman and opens as well so losing Quinton de Kock won’t hurt Mumbai if that eventuates.
Kishan scored 241 runs in 10 games at an average of 26.77 and strike rate of 133.88 in IPL 2021. The southpaw is a very aggressive batter and can take the game away from the opposition in a matter of a few overs. He showed how destructive he can be in the last game against SRH, scoring 84 runs in just 32 deliveries.
Mumbai can groom Ishan as their future captain as well so they should retain him for IPL 2022.
These were the four players I think Mumbai should retain before the mega auction for IPL 2022. All the players are experienced and form a solid core for the 5-time champions going forward.
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.
