IPL 2023 Auction: "They kept going with Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat" - Irfan Pathan feels Mumbai Indians need to target a death bowler at the auction

Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan believes Mumbai Indians (MI) need to bring in reinforcements in the fast bowling department in the IPL 2023 auction. MI went hard for an injured Jofra Archer and spent INR 8 crores last year, despite knowing that he wouldn't be available that season.

That left them with quite a small purse and they couldn't find better Indian bowlers than the likes of Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat. This mistake cost them dearly as Jasprit Bumrah looked like a lone warrior, with pacers around him leaking runs.

Speaking to Star Sports, here's what Irfan Pathan had to say about Mumbai Indians' strategy ahead of the IPL 2023 auction:

"Last year, what I felt from their bowling department, with Jofra not being there, they really did not have that sharpness in their bowling, especially in the death overs. They kept going with Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat as well, so definitely, even if Jofra and Jasprit Bumrah come back, they still need someone at the back end at least for the sake of a replacement."

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Irfan Pathan on Bumrah-Archer's injury woes

MI fans are excited to see Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer bowl in tandem. However, both have been sidelined with injuries at the moment and may just make it in time for the IPL 2023 season.

Irfan Pathan feels that if either of them aggravates their injury and misses a large portion of the season, Mumbai Indians need to make sure that they have a quality replacement available. He stated:

"If something goes wrong between Bumrah and Archer, they need someone who can bowl at the death. So, I really think they still need to look for a death bowler. It's very important, because Jofra Archer’s coming back from injury. Jasprit Bumrah is also returning from injury.”

Mumbai have already made a smart trade in the fast bowling department by bringing in Jason Behrendorff from RCB.