IPL 2020 Auction: 3 overseas spinners Mumbai Indians might target 

Mumbai Indians were one of the busiest franchises during the recently concluded IPL trading window. Despite retaining their core, the defending champions released 12 players ahead of the much-awaited auction which is scheduled to take place in Kolkata on December 19th.

Several big names including Alzarri Joseph and Ben Cutting were shown the door by the four-time winners who surprised everyone by trading young, talented Mayank Markande. The 22-year-old who shot into the limelight during IPL 2018 when he took 15 wickets for Rohit Sharma’s men, unfortunately, did not get enough opportunities to prove himself last season.

Markande played just three games throughout season 12 for Mumbai in which he managed a solitary wicket. The leg-spinner who was initially traded to Delhi Capitals was later traded to Rajasthan Royals after Delhi acquired the services of Ajinkya Rahane.

Though Mumbai's overseas combination looks pretty much settled, they don't have an overseas spinner in their ranks and might be tempted to go for one to further strengthen their spin department.

Also see – World Test Championship points table

Let us now look at three quality overseas spinners whom Mumbai might target as a back-up spinner at 2020 IPL auction to add to the balance of their squad.

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#1 Ish Sodhi

Ish Sodhi

Sodhi grabbed the headlines during the 2016 World T20 game against India where his figures of 3/18 helped the Kiwis crush the hosts for just 79 runs at Nagpur. The Ludhiana-born leggie began his IPL career in season 11 with Rajasthan Royals upon coming in as a replacement for the injured Afghanistan spinner Zahir Khan despite going unsold at the auction with a base price of INR 50 lakhs.

The 27-year-old played just eight matches for the Jaipur-based franchise during his two-year stint and took nine wickets at an economy of 6.69.

Now, having been released ahead of the 2020 auction, Sodhi who hasn’t had enough chances at Rajasthan will be hoping to make a mark in the IPL for a brand-new franchise. With Mumbai in need of a quality overseas spinner, the New Zealander must be an apt option to go for ahead of the next season. The fact that he has 154 T20 wickets to his name and is familiar with the Indian conditions might augur well for Sodhi.

#2 Adam Zampa

Adam Zampa

A regular fixture in the Australian limited-overs squad, Adam Zampa is one of the best leg-spinners in the world currently. The 27-year-old began his IPL career under Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. During that edition of the IPL, the Aussie registered figures of 6/19 in four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad at ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam which is currently the third-best bowling figure in the history of IPL.

After his two-year stint with the Pune franchise, Zampa found no buyers at the 2018 and 2019 auctions with a base price of INR 1 crore much to the surprise of everyone. Nevertheless, having proved his credentials in the shortest format of the game (144 T20 wickets) especially in the IPL, the leg-spinner could certainly add much firepower to Mumbai’s spin attack for the 13th edition of the league next year.

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#3 Hayden Walsh Jr

Hayden Walsh Jr

With the much-experienced Kieron Pollard and new recruit Sherfane Rutherford already in their ranks, Mumbai Indians might be aiming to add more Caribbean flavour to their side for the next edition of the IPL by roping in leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr.

The 27-year-old had a memorable 2019 Caribbean Premier League campaign with Barbados Tridents by winning the title and ending up as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets in just nine matches with his best figures being 5/19.

Hayden Walsh will surely be on the radar of several franchises having produced magical performances throughout the 2019 CPL and will be one of the players to watch out for at the 2020 auction. His promising display of spin bowling might just be what the doctor ordered for Rohit Sharma’s men who need an overseas spinner to complete their squad.