IPL 2022: Best Benched XI from the fifth week of the season

10. Mayank Markande

Mumbai Indians are in desperate need of resurrection. All their plans have failed miserably till this stage of their campaign. Their overdependence on Jasprit Bumrah is making life tough for them. The eight-match losing streak has made their journey almost impossible for the playoffs. They need to make some changes as soon as possible if they want to bow out of the tournament on a high.

Mayank Markande, the leg-spinner, was picked by the Mumbai Indians team in the 2018 season. He clinched three scalps on his IPL debut. His contribution was a major factor that helped Mumbai Indians to reach the finals. His IPL record speaks for itself, he has bagged 16 wickets in 18 matches with an amazing economy of 8.54. In the 2018-19 Ranji Tournament, he was the leading wicket-taker for his domestic side- Punjab, with 29 wickets in six matches. In this 2022 IPL, he has been benched by the Mumbai Indians until now.

Mumbai’s bowling department has been under the radar for the whole first half of this season. The attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, is failing match after match with no significant contributions coming from the batsmen as well. The likes of Jaydev Unadkat, Tymal Mills, and Murugan Ashwin are under-performing and not delivering the wickets upfront in the innings. Mayank has that wicket-taking knack that can be used in both the powerplay as well as in the middle phase of the innings.