IPL 2022: 3 MI players who have exceeded expectations

It is almost certain that five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will end at the bottom of the IPL point table for the first time in the history of the competition. Rohit Sharma and his men have had a tough season, where they also bagged the dubious record of most consecutive losses at the start of an IPL season (8).

However, behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining and the same applies to Mumbai as well. They have unearthed a number of young talents who, with maturity, will only get better and will form the future core of IPL's most successful franchise.

The likes of Dewald Brevis, Hrithik Shokeen and Kumar Kartikeya are some players who have made an impact in their debut season and are likely to be retained ahead of next year.

However, there have been three players who have stood out with their performances and have been the shining light in a rather dull season for MI. Let's take a look at who they are:

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#3 Tim David

Tim David has made his reputation as a big-hitter in the T20 leagues around the world like the Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League. However, he didn't get enough game time in his first IPL stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Quite a few eyebrows were raised when Mumbai shelled out a whopping INR 8.25 crore for the services of David. While some questioned his ability to be successful in the IPL, others were excited to see him partner Kieron Pollard and fill the hole left by the explosive Pandya brothers.

However, after just two games, David was inexplicably dropped from the side. MI even went on to play a few games with a couple of foreign players but still refrained from using David, despite Pollard going through woeful form.

Finally, the 26-year-old got consistent chances from the ninth game of MI in IPL 2022. Since then, he hasn't looked back and through his performances, has almost made it certain that he will be a huge part of Mumbai's future.

In seven games this season, David has scored 152 runs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 202.67. Many believe that he will be the heir to Pollard's throne once the former West Indies captain hangs up his boots.

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#2 Tilak Varma

The reaction of the Mumbai Indians think tank at the auction table when they picked up a young Tilak Varma was enough to suggest that they had landed another hidden gem.

The 19-year-old was a part of India's 2020 U19 World Cup squad, but didn't have many impactful performances. However, the MI scouting system has more often than not been reliable and Varma's domestic performances were enough for him to get his maiden IPL contract.

With Suryakumar Yadav missing the initial and final part of the IPL 2022 season due to injury, Varma has come of age and has proved to be another reliable batter for his IPL team.

Although many knew he was talented, not many would have predicted that Tilak Varma would be one of the highest run-scorers for his team this season. With 376 runs so far, Varma is firmly among the front-runners for the Emerging Player of the Tournament award.

View the IPL 2022 timetable here.

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#1 Daniel Sams

Arguably, one of the best comeback stories in the history of the IPL should be that of Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams. The 29-year-old had brief stints with the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, but couldn't make much of an impact.

So when Mumbai bought him at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, not many expected him to be the seam-bowling all-rounder that Hardik Pandya was for this franchise. Sams had a horrible start to the season, with his compatriot Pat Cummins smashing him for 35 runs in one over.

He was dropped from the side and many thought he had played his last game for the Mumbai Indians. However, after sitting out for a few matches, Sams was given his chance to make a comeback through some crucial backing by the MI think tank and captain Rohit Sharma.

The Aussie hasn't looked back since, taking the new ball for Mumbai and has also picked up 11 wickets in his last seven games. From being someone who was discarded, Sams has made a strong case for himself to be retained by the Mumbai Indians ahead of next season.