"You can definitely invest in him" - Irfan Pathan urges Mumbai Indians to retain Ishan Kishan ahead of IPL 2022 auction 

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) must consider retaining dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan ahead of the impending Indian Premier League mega-auction.

Speaking on Star Sports' show Game Plan, the cricketer-turned-commentator labelled the 23-year-old southpaw a 'solid hitter'. Pathan stated that having a left-hander like Kishan in the top order could prove to be beneficial for the five-time champions.

Apart from the talented youngster, Pathan picked skipper Rohit Sharma, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and T20 specialist Kieron Pollard as the other three players the franchise should look to retain. Here's what he said:

"Rohit Sharma number 1, Jasprith Bumrah number 2, number 3 Kieron Pollard and number 4, I’m very clear on that, Ishan Kishan. He’s 23-years-old and has shown glimpses of what he can do and achieve. He’s a solid hitter when it comes to having a left-hand batsman at the top of the order and you can definitely invest in him because he will have at least 10 years of a good level of cricket."

Regarding the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) retention plans, Pathan reckoned retaining Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler is the right step forward for the inaugural champions. Pathan added that while Jos Buttler remains a notable candidate, he would instead opt for his England teammate Jofra Archer.

The 37-year-old backed young opener Yashavi Jaiswal as Rajasthan's fourth and final pick. He said:

“Sanju Samson for sure, the second number will be Jos Buttler because he’s been in fantastic form, one of the best hitters going around especially if you are talking about white-ball cricket. So you don’t want to miss out on that wicket-keeper batsman, who can bat up the order and down the order as well."

Pathan added:

“The other guy, people might be tempted for Ben Stokes because he’s a wonderful all-rounder but I think I would put Jofra Archer in the same category as Jasprith Bumrah because you don’t find many bowlers like that. So, I definitely would like Rajasthan Royals to retain Jofra Archer. And the fourth one, I am very tempted for Yashasvi Jaiswal because he’s a young guy, who’s shown a lot of potential and he could be the guy you could invest in."

"Harshal Patel will be a big talking point" - Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan stated that Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell will be the obvious choice for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for retention. However, there will be a toss-up between Harshal Patel and Mohammad Siraj for the fourth spot whereas Yuzvendra Chahal could be the team's third pick.

Pathan opined that if the RCB think tank believe that Patel could be a useful bowling option at Chinnaswamy, then the IPL 2021 Purple Cap holder might get the nod ahead of Siraj. He said:

"You have guys like Devdutt Paddikal, Chahal, Mohammed Siraj as well as Harshal Patel, who’s been a Purple Patel for them, so he’s been a consistent performer. So, out of those four, I would go for Chahal as well as Siraj because they offer different bowling skills. He can give you the new ball and he can give you those yorkers as well at the same time."

He added:

"Yes, Harshal Patel will be a big talking point as well, but if RCB thinks he’s got the skill to do really well at the Chinnaswamy Stadium regularly, then in place of Siraj, they might go for Harshal Patel."

Poll : Which of this Indian cricket stars should Mumbai Indians retain ahead of IPL 2022 auction?

Ishan Kishan

Hardik Pandya

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