3 issues MI solved at the IPL 2023 auction

The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction saw the Mumbai Indians (MI) attempt to bolster their roster ahead of the upcoming season. After finishing with the wooden spoon last year, the five-time champions desperately needed some personnel changes.

There are still a fair few holes on their roster. MI don't have much depth in the spin department and their Indian pace contingent looks threadbare. But in other areas, Rohit Sharma and Co. managed to address a few problem areas and move towards a squad that can extend their stronghold over the league.

Here are three issues MI solved in the IPL 2023 auction.

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#3 MI acquired a quality backup wicket-keeper

New Zealand v India - 2nd T20

MI splurged on Ishan Kishan in the IPL 2022 auction, sealing their future in the opening and wicket-keeping departments to a certain extent. They needed a backup for the southpaw, though, with no other glovemen on the roster.

Mumbai have acquired an excellent option in the form of Vishnu Vinod, whose appearances in the IPL have been sporadic at best. He has been part of squads but has played only three games, which came in the 2017 season. Vinod is an explosive T20 batter with an immensely high ceiling, and MI got him for a cut-price deal.

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#2 MI's overseas fast-bowling picks were solid

BBL - Perth Scorchers v Melbourne Stars

Jofra Archer missed IPL 2022 with injury, handing Jasprit Bumrah more than he could handle in the pace-bowling unit. While the Englishman is on the road to recovery, having been named in his country's white-ball squad, he has struggled with a plethora of fitness concerns of late and needs to be handled carefully.

MI snapped up two players who could double up as backups for Archer - Jhye Richardson and Duan Jansen. While the former has been in good form in decent form in the Big Bash League, the latter is part of sister franchise MI Cape Town and is one for the future.

Richardson, in particular, could be a shrewd acquisition. The bowler has a plethora of slower balls and could be reliable at the death while also contributing with the bat. Jansen, meanwhile, has a lot of room to grow and will offer another left-arm option alongside Jason Behrendorff.

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#1 Cameron Green, the missing piece?

Australia v England - ODI Series: Game 1

₹17.50 crore of MI's auction purse was spent on Cameron Green, who has played only 21 T20s and eight T20Is in his professional career. While the money splurged on him might have been exorbitant, Mumbai could have a genuine match-winner on their hands.

The five-time champions have two superb spin-hitters in Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma in the middle order, and having a pace-hitter like Green could take them to the next level. They've been crying out for a finisher who can contribute a few overs of medium pace, especially of the hit-the-deck variety that the Aussie offers.

Green's bowling workload is rumored to be managed heavily by Cricket Australia, but he's bound to be a massive asset for MI.