IPL 2023: 3 players MI could’ve picked instead of Cameron Green

Mumbai Indians had a dismal campaign in the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League. They failed to string enough wins under their belt and ended the league stage as the wooden spoon holders, with only eight points to their name. 

In a bid to make amends for the coming season, Mumbai parted ways with 13 of their players, including all-rounders such as Daniel Sams, Fabian Allen, and Kieron Pollard (retired from IPL). With the trio released, MI entered the IPL 2023 auction seeking multi-faceted cricketers. They went hammer and tongs to sign Cameron Green and grabbed him at an insane sum of INR 17.5 crore.

Green is not much experienced campaigner in the T20 circuit, having played only 21 matches in the shortest format, of which only eight are international games. Therefore, showing a lot of faith in a player who is yet to establish himself in the T20 arena might not be a wise decision. Instead of the youngster, MI could have signed someone who is a consistent performer in the shortest format.

Here are three players MI could’ve picked instead of Cameron Green:

3. Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza has been a bankable name in the T20 circuit. He has featured in 160 T20 games and aggregated 3123 runs at a strike rate of 129.47. On the bowling front, the 36-year-old has picked up 83 wickets at an economy of 7.31. He has been a game-changer with both bat and ball and has also shown his prowess in the international arena, hammering 1259 runs in 66 T20Is and bagging 38 wickets at an economy of 7.18.

The Sialkot-born all-rounder set the T20 World Cup 2022 on fire with his exploits on the cricket field. Raza smashed 219 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 147.97 and bagged 10 wickets at an economy of 6.50. He was also at the forefront in a historic win against Pakistan, bagging a three-wicket haul.

Mumbai Indians lacked multi-faceted cricketers on their side and they could have looked to sign Raza at the IPL 2023 auction. The Zimbabwe cricketer can act as a floater in the batting line-up and is a four-over bank with the ball. Thus, his inclusion could have added depth to the Mumbai side. However, MI did not raise their paddle to sign the ace all-rounder.