3 recently released players MI might dearly miss in IPL 2023

The Mumbai Indians (MI) will want to forget their 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign in a hurry. Rohit Sharma and Co. finished dead last in the points table after amassing a miserable losing streak at the start of the competition.

MI's task might not get any easier this time around either. They will be without Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a back injury. The five-time champions will also have to contend with a major squad overhaul that has transpired since the 2022 mega-auction.

Here are three recently released players MI might dearly miss in IPL 2023.

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#3 Kieron Pollard

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As far as their squad goes, MI won't really miss Kieron Pollard. They have the big-hitting Tim David to make up for the West Indian's absence, and dynamic overseas all-rounders like Cameron Green have also been snapped up.

However, Pollard clearly has more to offer at the top level, although it seemed like he was past his prime during the previous edition of the IPL. The burly all-rounder dished out some spectacular displays in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has been consistent in other franchise competitions as well. He has also been electric on the field.

Pollard will be in the MI dugout as their batting coach. Perhaps he could've stayed on as a player for a season or two longer and helped Mumbai through this period of transition, especially since there are doubts over whether skipper Rohit will play all the games of the upcoming campaign.

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#2 Rahul Chahar

MI haven't been able to find a replacement for Rahul Chahar since letting him go ahead of the IPL 2022 mega-auction. They tried their best to sign him back but eventually lost out to the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Since then, Mumbai's spin department has looked threadbare. Kumar Kartikeya was the only standout from last year, and the left-arm spinner remains the only genuine spin option at the team's disposal. The likes of Murugan Ashwin and Piyush Chawla have been signed to boost the wrist-spin section since Chahar's departure, but they have proven to be far from reliable.

MI would love to have an attacking bowler like Chahar in their playing XI, especially in Bumrah's absence.

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#1 Sanjay Yadav

A lot of criticism was leveled at MI for choosing to release Sanjay Yadav ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. The all-rounder was the star of the 2022 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and seemed all set to become a fixture in Mumbai's playing XI this year.

However, Rohit and Co. decided to put Sanjay back in the auction pool. More bizarrely, none of the 10 franchises expressed an interest in the big-hitting all-rounder at the IPL 2023 auction.

Looking at MI's squad, it's easy to say that they would've enjoyed having Sanjay on their books. They barely have any spin-bowling all-rounders, and the introduction of the impact player rule means that some lower-order firepower would've made them even more deadly.