IPL Auction 2022: 3 domestic players Mumbai Indians (MI) will target

Mumbai Indians had to make some tough choices on player retention ahead of the 2022 IPL auction. They had a number of match-winners in their squad but had to let go of most of them to stay within the player retention limit ahead of the Mega Auction.

MI have retained captain Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav going into the new season. However, MI will attempt to re-sign their former players in the auction.

Mi's problem with this plan might be the budget restraints. Several of their key players have improved their worth over the years and will now be sold for heavy amounts at the auction. It means MI scouts will also have to keep their search going for young talents who can be bought for less expensive contracts.

Indian cricket is replete with domestic talent. Mumbai Indians also have a good history of being smart buyers in auctions due to the planned homework done by the team management. Thus, it can be expected that Mumbai will look to apply the same strategy again in next year's Mega Auction.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy has thrown up a lot of new names. These players have been noted down by the scouts due to their strong individual performances. The Vijay Hazare trophy is likely to add more names to that list.

On that note, let's take a look at three domestic players Mumbai Indians can target at the 2022 IPL auction:

#3 Abhinav Manohar

Abhinav Manohar could be the surprise package for Mumbai Indians

The young man from Karnataka made his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2021/22 and was mighty impressive all season. The Bengaluru-born player has played for Karnataka in four matches, scoring 162 runs at a strike rate of 150.

His match-winning knock of 70 runs against Saurashtra in his maiden appearance put him in the limelight on the domestic cricket circuit. He was also the top scorer for Karnataka in the final. He is a dependable middle-order batter, and would fit seamlessly into the starting XI for the Mumbai Indians.

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#2 Mohammed Azharuddeen

Mohammed Azharuddeen can be a good pick for Mumbai Indians

Kerala batter Mohammed Azharuddeen was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad but did not get a chance to make his debut. However, the Mumbai Indians could be the side for him this upcoming IPL season.

Since making his T20 debut in 2016, the right-hander has scored nearly 600 runs in 31 games at a strike rate of over 130. Since the Mumbai Indians have released both Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock, Azharuddeen, with his wicket-keeping skills, can be a valuable acquisition.

The right-hander can open the innings and he is a free-scoring batter who can give the team a quick start on the steady Wankhede surface. He smacked 137 runs off only 54 balls (nine fours, 11 sixes) against Mumbai last year in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

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#1 Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan can be a bumper pick for Mumbai Indians in the IPL

Avesh Khan was one of the finds of the season for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021. He featured in 16 games last season and picked up 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.37.

He was not retained by the Delhi Capitals. It means the Mumbai Indians can go after him in the auctions. He would be a great addition to their side and compliment Mumbai's star pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Avesh was always amongst the wickets in the powerplay overs in the IPL and has also become a potent performer in the death overs. He will benefit greatly in the company of Jasprit Bumrah.

The pacer is on the radar of the national selectors and another bumper IPL season could see him earn his break through into the Indian team.