SWOT analysis of Mumbai Indians (MI) squad after IPL 2022 Auction

Mumbai Indians (MI) purchased a total of 21 players during the two-day Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.

The five-time IPL champions, who had retained four players ahead of the auction, went slow on Day 1 and bought only four players. However, they picked the most expensive buy at the auction, spending ₹15.25 crore for young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. Their other purchases of the day were Dewald Brevis (₹3 crore), Basil Thampi, (₹30 lakh) and Murugan Ashwin (₹1.6 crore).

On Day 2, they went all out and picked 17 players, filling up their squad to the maximum limit available - 25 players. Singapore all-rounder Tim David (₹8.25 crore), England fast bowler Jofra Archer (₹8 crore) and Indian left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat (₹1.30 crore) were their major purchases on Sunday.

How Mumbai Indians (MI) squad looks after IPL 2022 auction

Following the conclusion of the IPL 2022 auction, here’s a SWOT analysis of MI’s squad.

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Strengths: Players retained ahead of auction

If we glance at MI’s squad after the auction, it wears quite an unfamiliar look. Unlike some of the franchises, Mumbai did not look to buy back some of their star performers from earlier years (barring Ishan Kishan). As such, their biggest strength lies in the players they retained ahead of the auction.

Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard have formed MI’s core for the last few seasons. Nothing much has changed for them in that context after the mega auction. If anything, the quartet are expected to carry greater responsibilities until the newly-purchased players settle in.

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Weaknesses: Thin bowling attack

There was a time when MI’s bowling attack comprised Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Trent Boult and Rahul Chahar. They were considered the most formidable and versatile bowling group in the competition. Malinga has, of course, retired, while left-arm seamer Boult and leg-spinner Chahar were released ahead of the auction.

If we look at MI’s current bowling line-up, Bumrah remains their strike bowler. They have purchased Jofra Archer for ₹8 crore but his fitness and availability will always be a question mark. Unadkat may have been purchased as a like-for-like replacement for Boult. But while the Saurashtra bowler is a hard trier, he lacks the death-overs skills of the New Zealand pacer.

It remains to be seen whether the likes of Tymal Mills, Riley Meredith, Basil Thampi and Murugan Ashwin can provide the desired support to Bumrah.

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Opportunities: Youngsters can make a mark

With every challenge comes an opportunity. The current MI squad might not look as strong on paper in comparison to previous editions. At the same time, there is a chance for young players in the team to make their mark.

South Africa’s U19 World Cup star Dewald Brevis is definitely someone who will be keenly followed. After all, if a player is being compared to a legend like AB de Villiers, he must have some special talent. Arjun Tendulkar, who has been picked by MI for the second year in a row, might get an opportunity to prove his worth.

Mumbai have picked a number of uncapped Indian youngsters such as N Tilak Varma, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen and Aryan Juyal, who could get a chance to become stars.

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Threats: Not enough match-winners

The biggest threat for MI going into IPL 2022 is the lack of match-winners in their squad, at least on paper. In previous years, they could depend on proven performers like Quinton de Kock and the Pandya brothers (Hardik and Krunal) to pull them out of trouble with the bat.

In the bowling department too, the likes of Bumrah, Malinga and Boult bailed them out of precarious situations a number of times. Looking around the squad, they aren’t enough game-changers.

Of course, some of the players can prove their worth and nullify the predictions. Whether that happens, we can only wait and watch.

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MI squad for IPL 2022

Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, N Tilak Varma, Sanjay Yadav, Jofra Archer, Daniel Sams, Tymal Mills, Tim David, Riley Meredith, Mohd. Arshad Khan, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Aryan Juyal, Fabian Allen