IPL 2018: Mitchell McClenaghan replaces Jason Behrendorff in Mumbai Indians squad

New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has replaced Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff in the Mumbai Indians' squad for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

Behrendorff was bought for Rs. 1.5 crore by the defending champions after a small battle between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab in the mega-auctions which took place in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.

However, the 27-year-old is suffering from a back injury, which has ruled him out of the lucrative tournament.

McClenaghan, who went unsold in this year's auction, will now find himself back with the squad where he has achieved a lot of success.

He began his journey with the Indians' in 2015 and was their frontline bowler for three seasons in a row. He was an integral part of the squad which won the IPL title in 2015 and 2017. Despite giving away a lot of runs, his knack of picking up wickets at regular intervals is what made him an extremely dangerous bowler.

He played a total of 40 matches for Mumbai, picking up 54 wickets in the process at an average of 24.61 and an economy rate of 8.61.

After going unsold in the auction, McClenaghan took to Twitter to post a message thanking the Mumbai side and captain Rohit Sharma for the three years he spent with the team.

Just a quick thanks to @mipaltan and @ImRo45 for the last 3 years. Was a great experience and enjoyed every moment. All the best this year and will watch on with interest.

— Mitchell McClenaghan (@Mitch_Savage) January 28, 2018

The Kiwi pacer has not been a part of the national squad since March 2016 and will be hoping to deliver in the IPL and make a comeback to the international arena once again.

He has played a total of 28 T20Is for the Blackcaps and has taken 30 wickets at an average of 25.26. He has also played 48 ODIs where he has picked up 82 wickets at an average of 28.20.

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