IPL 2023: 5 Players Mumbai Indians should have picked but didn't

Mumbai Indians finished rock bottom in the last Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and part of the reason behind that was their auction in 2022. They built a squad for the future and did not mind having a poor outing. They invested majorly in players below the age of 26 and in the process, left a few gaping holes.

However, they would have been aware that they couldn't afford to repeat the same for another season ahead of the 2023 auction. With a pretty good purse, MI would have entered the auction hoping to plug the remaining gaps and compete for the trophy with their highly talented squad. However, that wasn’t the case, as there were a few players that they should have picked but didn’t.

Here are 5 Players Mumbai Indians should've picked but didn't

1. Adam Zampa

Mumbai Indians made a mistake by not buying a quality leg-spinner in the auction and that could come back to haunt them. Buying an overseas spinner has never been their mode of operation, but back then they had at least one proven Indian spinner in their squad.

This time, all their spinners are inexperienced, and the only experienced one is Piyush Chawla. However, he has been on the decline and hasn't averaged less than 29 since 2017, and even went unsold in 2022. Their poor spin attack was one of the reasons behind their eight-game losing streak at the start of the season.

This is where Adam Zampa would have been a valuable addition as he was arguably the best overseas spinner available. He has been amongst the best bowlers in T20s over the last couple of years and has become a lot more consistent. The Australian would have provided them an option in case they wanted to try a different combination. Instead, the bulk of the bowling in the middle phase of the innings will have to be done by the likes of Kumar Kartikeya, Shams Mulani, and Hrithik Shokeen, all of whom have little experience at this level. The leg-spinner will now play for the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming edition of the league.