IPL 2019: 3 spinners for Mumbai Indians to target at the Auction

The Mumbai Indians finished in the fifth place last season and failed to make it to the playoffs. Their young squad had performed well but a few crucial moments should've been handled better by the team. Their choices in the auction raised a few eyebrows, especially their inexperienced and weak spin bowling lineup on paper.

Mayank Markande lit the league on fire in the first match against the Chennai Super Kings with impressive figures off 3 for 23 in 4 overs. He finished with 15 wickets at the end of the tournament as his form had fizzled towards the latter stages of the tournament as the batsmen were able to pick his deliveries.

Ahead of the 2019 season, they have released the following players.

Released players: Saurabh Tiwary, Pradeep Sangwan, Mohsin Khan, MD Nidheesh, Sharad Lumba, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, JP Duminy, Pat Cummins, Mustafizur Rahman, Akila Dananjaya.

Mumbai have retained the following players.

Retained players: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Jason Behrendorff.

Here are three spinners who the Mumbai Indians might target at the auction.

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#3 Qais Ahmad

Qais Ahmad

Like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb, Qais Ahmad is one of the most promising spinners in the current Afghanistan setup. The leg-spinner had humble beginnings before he rose to fame with his performance for the Balkh Legends in the Afghanistan Premier League.

The 18 year-old was also the joint highest wicket taker in the 2018 U-19 World Cup along with India's Anukul Roy. Qais is slated to be in contention for national selection. He has picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches at a good economy rate of 6.97 and an excellent average of 16.89.

Mumbai Indians have had the habit of signing young players and molding them in to a complete package. Their great coaching staff, experienced campaigners and loyal fans can make any player feel at home. He has the potential to become the next Mujeeb or Rashid and can create ripples this season if picked.

#2 Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid

The England leg-spinner is in the form of his life and currently sits at the third place in the ICC T20I Rankings for bowlers. Adil Rashid is also ranked sixth in the ODI format. He has often expressed his wish was to play in the IPL but the time hasn't come yet and the next season can be the one which Rashid might've been waiting for.

Rashid is very experienced and can fit into any team with ease as he can adapt to the conditions very well. The wrist-spinner has picked up 38 wickets in 22 matches in ODIs at a decent economy rate of 5.37 and an average of 26.42.

He has had an even better outing in T20Is this year. The leg-spinner has picked 12 wickets from 9 games at an excellent economy rate of 6.83 and an average of 20.20. Mumbai Indians needed a spinner who could control proceedings in the middle stages of the game and pick up wickets when needed. Adil Rashid can fulfill such a role for the heavyweights.

#1 Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy's inclusion at the top of this list can certainly raise a few eyebrows. However, if the Mumbai Indians want a spinner who nobody has been able to read till now, he'll be the top pick.

Most T20 franchises want one mystery spinner. Kings XI Punjab have Mujeeb Ur Rahman, KKR have Sunil Narine and SRH have the highly consistent Rashid Khan.

KC Cariappa was once slated to be India's own mystery spinner but he didn't have a lot of variations and faded away. Varun Chakravarthy rose to fame after playing for the Siechem Madurai Panthers in the TNPL. He bowled the full quota of 4 overs in all the matches he played and picked up 9 wickets in 10 matches at an excellent economy rate of 4.70.

Chakravarthy's performances for Tamil Nadu has been good. He has picked up 22 wickets from 9 matches. Though there will be a lot of competition from other teams to acquire his services, you can count on Mumbai Indians to shell out money for players who are worth the gamble.