IPL 2023: 5 players Mumbai Indians might release ahead of auction

Mumbai Indians, under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, experienced their best days. In 2013, the management handed captaincy to 25-year-old Rohit Sharma, and in his first season, as a leader, Rohit impressed the management and supporters with his leadership skills by winning a maiden title for the team. Today, after fifteen seasons of the IPL, MI is the most successful franchise in the league winning record 5 titles. But in the last two years, supporters have also witnessed a slump in the team’s performance.

In the fifteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, MI produced their lowest performance in the league. Out of 14 matches of the 2022 IPL, the team lost 10 and won just 4. In the last season, the 5-times Champions also registered an embarrassing record of losing 8 consecutive matches in the competition.  

With big names such as Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Tim David, MI fans were hoping for a brilliant show from the 5-time champions. In the last auction, the franchise also roped in Jofra Archer at a hefty price of INR Rs.8 crore, but the Barbadian-born English cricketer was only available from the 2023 season. After facing disappointments in a couple of seasons, this time, Mumbai Indians will try to get back in vogue by freeing inconsistent players.

Let us have a look at the 5 players Mumbai Indians might release ahead of the auction:

1. Basil Thampi

Mumbai Indians are known for producing big names. In the last few years, players such as Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, and Jasprit Bumrah found their spot in the national team with the help of their stellar displays for MI. This year, MI invested INR Rs.60 lakhs in pacer Basil Thampi to vitalise the bowling line-up.

For the right-arm fast bowler, it was a perfect opportunity to shine with some impressive show with the ball, but his performance in the matches of the tournament turned out to be a disaster. Basil in 5 appearances spent runs at an expensive economy rate of 9.50 and took just 5 wickets.

In the past, we have seen MI nurturing talents with top-notch performances, but the disappointing bowling figures of Basil won’t convince the franchise to hold him for the sixteenth season.