IPL Auction 2020: 3 biggest buys for Mumbai Indians

Of all the franchises that participated in the IPL Auction 2020 in Kolkata yesterday, Mumbai Indians were probably the only outfit that required the least amount of surgery to their squad.

It wouldn’t even be an overstatement to say that the defending champions would’ve been absolutely fine had they not made any purchases at all, courtesy of their brilliant retained core and their shrewd trade-ins prior to the auction.

The starting eleven pretty much picked itself before the auction, and the same can be said after all that went down in Kolkata yesterday, where huge sums of money were spent on star players and uncapped Indian starlets. Perhaps, the only new addition to most Mumbai Indians’ fans teams would be explosive Australian opener Chris Lynn, who was lapped up for his base price of ₹2 crores.

Lynn’s addition will allow Mumbai to experiment with their batting order a bit and they might consider opening with Lynn and Quinton de Kock, whilst captain Rohit Sharma may come in to bat at three. Whether this will eventually happen or not remains to be seen but it’s a good headache for head coach Mahela Jayawardene to have.

The most expensive purchase made by the Mumbai-based outfit was that of Nathan Coulter-Nile, for whom a vicious bidding war emanated between Mumbai and the Chennai Super Kings. The defending champions’ determination to land their man paid off and Coulter-Nile joined the roster for a whopping ₹8 crores.

Mumbai finally capped off their auction by re-signing old boy Saurabh Tiwary for ₹50 lakhs and Mohsin Khan, Digvijay Deshmukh and Balwant Rai Singh for ₹20 lakhs each.

Without further ado, let’s dissect Mumbai’s top thr purchases at the auction and find out what they could offer to the side.

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#1 Nathan Coulter-Nile

Nathan Coulter-Nile

Nathan Coulter-Nile’s sale in this year’s auction can probably be termed as one of the most baffling purchases we’ve seen in recent years.

What’s more intriguing about this entire situation is the fact that last year’s finalists and two of the IPL’s most successful outfits were embroiled in an intense battle to land his signature, so much so that they eventually ended up paying eight times his actual worth.

Let’s make one thing absolutely clear, we’re not in any way trying to put a blemish on Coulter-Nile’s ability – on his day, the Aussie all-rounder can be an extremely handy operator who can contribute very effectively in all departments on the pitch.

However, his recent form in the IPL, an extremely dodgy injury record and the lack of evidence about him being a sure-shot starter in this Mumbai line-up make the price the franchise ended up paying for him absurd.

Whether he starts for Mumbai or not, Coulter-Nile’s journey with his new team is going to be interesting to follow.

#2 Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn

You cannot really have any qualms with his purchase, can you? Chris Lynn’s name was the first to come out of the hat, and the Mumbai Indians ended up buying him for his base price of ₹2 crores, which, in retrospect, represent brilliant value for money.

There’s just so much that makes sense about this purchase. With Mumbai letting go of Evin Lewis, bringing in a specialist overseas batsman was a priority and they couldn’t have done much better than Lynn, especially considering the price they got him for.

The swashbuckling Aussie opener is going to be an absolute handful for bowlers on the Wankhede track and provides Mumbai with a plethora of options with respect to the positioning of the other players in their batting order.

Captain Rohit Sharma can come in at three, whilst Suryakumar Yadav has shown that he’s more than capable of constructing an innings and going gung-ho, as and when the situation demands.

Not only have Mumbai strengthened their top order with the Lynn purchase, but the knock-on effect of him taking to the pitch alongside Quinton de Kock also ensures that Mumbai have way more depth in their middle-order.

#3 Saurabh Tiwary

Saurabh Tiwary

As mentioned at the start of this piece, the Mumbai Indians squad didn’t need much surgery, with the exception of one or two smart additions that could enhance the overall quality of the squad.

It was no surprise then that the Mumbai management slowed down considerably after the acquisitions of Lynn and Coulter-Nile and opted to venture into the known territory by buying Saurabh Tiwary for a modest fee of ₹50 lakhs.

The left-hander from Jharkhand has been part of the Mumbai Indians furniture before as well and it could be said that Mumbai went for the “safe option” with Tiwary’s purchase.

In 81 matches for Mumbai, Tiwary has scored 1276 runs at an average of 28.35 while maintaining a strike rate of 119.58.

It will be beneficial for Mumbai to have a player in their ranks who’s well-acclimatised to the culture of the franchise, and who understands that he won’t necessarily get to play every game, but can still be counted upon to do a job if and when the team requires him to do so.