Two-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians had a decent 2017 IPL auction in which they managed to get a back-up player for each and every position as they bid to win their third IPL crown.
Going into the auction, Mumbai possessed a balanced squad with the 20 players they retained and had a purse of 11.55 crores to fill the remaining slots. One would have thought that the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise will spend their money on an aggressive opener to partner skipper Rohit Sharma at the top of the order, a good local middle batsman and a couple of good bowlers (including a spinner) as a back-up for their frontline bowlers.
Instead, the team’s think tank had different ideas as they completed their squad by getting 7 more players by spending 8.20 crores in the auctions.
List of players bought by Mumbai Indians at the IPL 2017 auction
| Player | Type | Bought for (Lakhs) | Base price (Lakhs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Pooran (WI) | Wicket-keeper | 30 | 30 |
| K Gowtham (India) | All-rounder | 200 | 10 |
| Mitchell Johnson (Aus) | Left-arm fast bowler | 200 | 200 |
| Asela Gunaratne (SL) | All-rounder | 30 | 30 |
| Saurabh Tiwary (India) | Batsman | 30 | 30 |
| Kulwant Khejroliya (India) | Left-arm medium fast | 10 | 10 |
| Karn Sharma (India) | All-rounder | 320 | 30 |
At the Auction
They needed a good Indian middle order batsman and they got the services of Saurabh Tiwary, who returns to the franchise where he tasted success earlier in his career. They also got a decent leg-spinner in Karn Sharma. The team management must have been happy with the Parthiv Patel-Rohit Sharma combination and this might be the reason why they didn’t go after an opening batsman.
Also read: Full team list and players sold in the 2017 IPL auction
Mumbai Indians were keen on buying an overseas fast bowler as they raised their paddle for few pacers before they ended up with Mitchell Johnson, who comes back to the franchise after spending a couple of seasons with Kings XI Punjab. Their coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted that Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan are coming back from injuries and they had to go for a pacer as an alternative option.
They also poached Karnataka all-rounder K Gowtham, who has been consistent of late and was bought for 2 crores. Their owner Akash Ambani said that Gowtham will be an asset to their team. The other players bought by the franchise were the exciting West Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran for his base price of 30 lakhs, Delhi pacer Kulwant Khejroliya and Sri Lankan all-rounder Asela Gunaratne, who scored a century and two fifties in the last three International matches he played.
Mumbai Indians’ final squad for IPL 2017
Rohit Sharma (c), Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, J Suchith, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Punia, Jitesh Sharma, Tim Southee, Jos Buttler, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Karn Sharma, K Gowtham, Kulwant Khejroliya, Asela Gunaratne and Nicholas Pooran.
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