IPL 2018 Auction: 5 players Mumbai Indians should look to buy on Day 2

The first day of the IPL 2018 Auction turned out to be a mixed bag for the Mumbai Indians.

Having retained Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya before the auctions, the Mumbai Indians used their Right To Match cards to bring back Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya into their fold.

Having picked Mustafizur Rahman and Pat Cummins on the first day of the auction, the duo along with Jasprit Bumrah will form a formidable fast bowling attack.

However, there are a few players Mumbai Indians need to focus on to strengthen their team. With INR 15.8 crore left in their kitty, Mumbai Indians will look to buy the following players if the budget allows them to do so on the second day of the auction at Bangalore on Sunday.

#5 Shahbaz Nadeem

A big missing link in the Mumbai Indians line up is the presence of a specialist spinner. The franchisee should look to buy Shahbaz Nadeem on the second day of the 2018 IPL auction.

Nadeem is a veteran when it comes to playing domestic cricket and his experience should come in handy for the defending champions.In his 55 IPL games, Nadeem has picked up 37 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.1.

Nadeem has usually been given the ball in the power play overs and has proved quite effective with his bowling.

The 28-year-old left arm spinner will be one of the most wanted players for the Mumbai Indians considering the role and importance of spinners in T20 cricket.

#4 Kusal Perera

The coach Mahela Jayawardena will look to add Kusal Perera to the Mumbai Indians line up

Perera, at a base price of Rs 50 lakh will be a steal for the Mumbai Indians. Perera can be an explosive batsman at the top of the order and can keep wickets if required.

Perera should be on the radar of the Mumbai Indians, considering that coach Mahela Jayawardena will be keeping a close eye on the fellow Sri Lankan.

Perera has a strike rate of 133.55 in T20 internationals and has been a bright spot for Sri Lanka in the last couple of years. He is known to hit the ball a long way and scores majority of his runs in fours and sixes.

Perera can be a real asset for the Mumbai Indians considering his T20 record.

#3 Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel will be a handy pick for Mumbai Indians

Parthiv Patel went unsold on Day 1 of the 2018 IPL auctions and though Mumbai Indians bought Ishan Kishan for a whopping amount of Rs. 6.2 crores, the defending champions would love to have Parthiv Patel back in their line up.

Parthiv has played for Mumbai Indians in the past and in 119 IPL matches, he has scored 2322 runs at an average of 21.7 and a strike rate of 117.21.

Patel is a useful option when it comes to batting at the top of the order and can also be useful while batting low down the order.

Patel has the experience of playing cricket for over 15 years and he can be a team man and Mumbai Indians should definitely look to buy him.

#2 Joe Root

Joe Root can be the ideal number 4 for Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians require an experienced batsman who can guide them in the crucial middle overs of the game. The English Test captain Joe Root, who went unsold on day 1 of the auction, is the ideal man to fit in that role in the Mumbai Indians line up.

Root is an exceptional player in all formats of the game and has done exceptionally well for England in the T20 format as well.

In 25 T20 internationals, Root averages over 39 and has a strike rate of above 128 which is proof that he can play the role of the aggressor when required.

The Englishman can be the perfect number 4 of the 2017 IPL champions and can bring experience and stability to the Mumbai Indians batting line up.

#1 Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle will be the perfect opening partner for Rohit Sharma

The biggest surprise of Day 1 of the IPL 2018 Auction was Chris Gayle remaining unsold. The burly West Indian has been one of the most successful openers in IPL history and will be a perfect opening partner for Rohit Sharma if Mumbai Indians bid for him on the second day of the 2018 auction.

The very thought of Gayle and Sharma opening the batting on a flat Wankhede wicket will be a nightmare for the bowlers. The presence of Gayle in the Mumbai Indians line up will have a positive impact on the rest of the batting line up as well.

Gayle averages over 41 in 10 seasons of the IPL and has an impressive strike rate of over 150. On his day, Gayle can win matches on his own and he showed that he has not lost his touch just yet with his performances in the recently concluded Bangladesh Premier League.

Gayle should be the first pick for Mumbai Indians amongst the unsold players.