3 players Mumbai Indians could target in the IPL 2020 auction

Mumbai Indians are the defending champions
Mumbai Indians are the defending champions

No teams in the IPL have had the same level of success as the Mumbai Indians have enjoyed in the tournament. MI have won the tournament four times, the most for any team in the IPL, taking home the title in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

They have also had some of the finest players represent the franchise over the last few decades with Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Sanath Jayasuriya all enjoying a top run with MI during their playing days.

MI are the reigning IPL champions, having picked up a dramatic victory over the Chennai Super Kings in the summit clash of IPL 2019 in May.

There have been a lot of changes to the Mumbai Indians squad since the end of the season though, with Evin Lewis, Ben Cutting and Yuvraj Singh among a number of players to have been released.

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The Mumbai Indians have a few areas they will need to target to strengthen their squad, and here are three players they could target at the IPL 2020 player auction.


#3 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer in action for RCB
Shimron Hetmyer in action for RCB

It is a bit of a surprise that we’re talking about who could pick up Shimron Hetmyer in the auction, because the majority of people will have expected the Royal Challengers Bangalore to retain the West Indian left-hander.

RCB had a plethora of overseas talent available at their disposal last year, meaning Hetmyer only played five games in his debut season, but made a real impact with a fine match-winning innings of 75 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The 22-year-old has had a real breakthrough year, and is now part of the West Indian team in all formats of the game. His best success has come in ODI cricket, where he has scored five hundreds and four fifties, including a superb 139 against India in the ongoing ODI series.

If he were to sign for the Mumbai Indians, a top three of Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma and Hetmyer would be quite something.

#2 Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes
Chris Woakes

By releasing Adam Milne, Jason Behrendorff and Ben Cutting, MI have left themselves slightly short in terms of seam bowling options, especially ones who have international experience.

Jasprit Bumrah is without a doubt the star of the show, and there are very few, if any, better at the death than the Indian seamer, while Lasith Malinga is perhaps the best T20 bowler of all time, but at 36, his powers are dwindling slightly.

Adding someone like Chris Woakes to the squad would bring the Mumbai Indians quite a lot of experience, as well as a lot of quality, both with the bat and the ball.

The 30-year-old has 241 international wickets to his name, and has enjoyed success in all three formats, as well as playing a key role in England’s World Cup triumph earlier this year. He is a top class bowler, and would help to create a very fine bowling line-up alongside Bumrah, Malinga and Boult if he were to join Mumbai.

#1 Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla

Despite having a fine seam bowling line-up, the Mumbai Indians could potentially find themselves short in terms of spin bowling if they don’t address this problem during the auction. 20-year-old Rahul Chahar had a superb debut season, picking up 15 wickets with an average of just under seven. He also had a brilliant final, taking one wicket, and going for just 14 runs in his four overs.

However, as the Mumbai Indians have allowed Mayank Markande to join the Delhi Capitals, they have no other front-line spinners, with Krunal Pandya playing a greater role as a batsman.

They may wish to add another spinner to their roster, and adding some experience in the shape of Piyush Chawla may be useful. The 30-year-old has been an incredibly successful T20 bowler, playing 237 games in the format and picking up 251 wickets. If they pick him up in the auction, he could offer the Mumbai Indians some crucial squad depth.

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Edited by Prasen Moudgal