IPL 2020: 3 players Mumbai Indians should target at the auction

Mumbai Indians are the most successful IPL franchise in history. Over the first 12 seasons of the league, the Ambani-owned franchise have won the trophy four times. Led admirably by Rohit Sharma, MI have become the team to beat in the competition.

Ahead of the IPL 2020 auction, Mumbai Indians seem to be one of the most balanced outfits, boasting of a strong squad already. In Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah and the Pandya brothers, they have a solid Indian core to build their team around. Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga are superstars of the game, while the addition of Trent Boult in the trade window has given them another quality overseas option.

There aren't many gaps in the squad that has won the IPL trophy twice in the last three seasons. The opening combination looks settled with Rohit and De Kock, while they also have great all-rounders in Pollard, Hardik and Krunal. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are more than handy batsmen, and Bumrah, Malinga, Boult and McClenaghan form an impressive pace attack.

But if there is one area where MI can add strength, then it is the spin bowling department. Apart from Rahul Chahar, there is no established spinner in the side. Krunal is a handy bowler but he cannot be expected to be a match-winner with the ball consistently.

So for the Mumbai Indians, this auction represents an opportunity to fill the squad with some useful spinners. Let us have a look at the three players that Mumbai Indians will look to target this auction.

#3 R Sai Kishore

R Sai Kishore

The Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner has been in great form this season, having topped the wicket-taking charts in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His 20 wickets at a modest economy rate of 4.63 helped Tamil Nadu reach the finals of the T20 tournament.

Though Sai Kishore has never been part of the Indian Premier League, he has some experience under his belt, having performed the duties of net bowler for the Chennai Super Kings during the last IPL.

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According to Sai Kishore himself, the opportunity to bowl at MS Dhoni and other big stars in the CSK nets was a great learning curve. And with Mumbai Indians in search of a backup spin bowler, there is no better option than the talented Tamil Nadu spinner.

#2 Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla is one of the most underrated stars of the Indian Premier League. Having played second fiddle to Kolkata Knight Riders star spinner Sunil Narine for a number of years, Chawla himself has accumulated 150 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.82 runs-per-over that places him in 4th place of IPL's all-time wicket-takers list.

With the rise of Kuldeep Yadav and the presence of Narine in the KKR setup, Chawla was found surplus to requirements and hence released from KKR's squad ahead of the auctions. But he is an experienced bowler and would not come cheap at the auction.

Still, Mumbai Indians should pursue the leg-spinner as his experience would certainly help the young Rahul Chahar develop further.

#1 David Miller

David Miller

It was a big surprise when Kings XI Punjab released David Miller ahead of the IPL 2020 auctions. Miller has been a consistent player for the Mohali based franchise over the years and though his performances have dipped in the last couple of seasons, he is still one of the most fluent strikers of the ball.

Mumbai Indians have been long-time admirers of the South African, having initially bought him in the mega player auction ahead of 11th edition of the IPL before losing out to KXIP's right-to-match card.

If Mumbai Indians manage to secure the services of Miller, they can use the southpaw as a finisher and move Hardik Pandya up the order to utilize his big-hitting skills. Miller can also be a useful cover for Kieron Pollard as the overseas finisher.

Moreover, the presence of an experienced batsman like Miller down the order would allow captain Rohit Sharma to bat freely at the top of the order.