IPL History: Seven replacement signings that worked wonders for franchises

#4 Dwayne Smith replaced Mitchell Johnson (Mumbai Indians, 2012)

Dwayne Smith was destructive at the top of the order

Mumbai Indians was the perennial underachievers in the first five years of IPL. Despite boasting many big International players, they failed to win titles as their players got injured more frequently. 2012 was no different as Mitchell Johnson was the casualty.

West Indian Dwayne Smith was named as a late replacement. He produced a match-winning innings in his first ever match scoring 14 off last three balls to guide his team to victory against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. The victory seemed impossible as they slumped from being 134/1 to 159/9 but he was calm to take his team to a nerve-wracking finish.

He then formed a successful opening partnership with Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians. It continued till 2013, as he played a key role in their first IPL triumph scoring 418 runs with four fifties. He capped off the season with a Man of the Series performance for MI in the 2013 Champions League T20 and helped win their second title.

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