According to former India player Aakash Chopra, Yuzvendra Chahal would be the goal of the Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time IPL (Indian Premier League) champions, in the mega-auction that will be held in Jeddah later this month. The leg-spinner, who was acquired for INR 6.5 crore in the IPL 2022 mega-auction, is notable for having taken 66 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals over the previous three seasons.
Chahal was let go despite being one of their best match winners and would fetch INR 2 crore at the mega-auction. Mumbai has struggled with its bowling unit over the last three seasons, so Chopra anticipates that they will put a lot of effort into improving it. He calculated that in addition to Jasprit Bumrah, they might assemble a full Indian batting lineup and bolster the seam department with two international pacers.
For the spin, he anticipates that the team will either try to get Washington Sundar or pursue Yuzvendra Chahal.
Once more, their batting has improved. They only have one bowler, a four-over bank, which is the issue; you need additional bowlers. They were disappointed by bowling last time as well. They used to score runs, between 225 and 250, but they also used to give up that many runs,” Chopra stated in a video posted on his YouTube page.
They relied too much on the batting to get runs, and it was a touch excessive to consistently score 20–40 runs above par. In addition to an international bowling squad and a few Indian spinners, they may have a full Indian batting lineup. Without a doubt, they will target Yuzi Chahal. Whether they will get him or not is uncertain to me. The 47-year-old went on, “They may want to keep Washington Sundar.”
Although they won’t acquire him, Mumbai will definitely pursue Ishan Aakash Chopra.
Ishan Kishan was purchased by Mumbai for INR 15.25 crore during the 2022 mega-auction. Chopra thinks the team will want to have him in the auction again, even though he was released before the 2025 Indian Premier League. Given that MI only has INR 45 crore left in the purse, he is aware that the player can wind up playing for a another team. The franchise could then go after Phil Salt or Quinton de Kock, he continued.
Additionally, they will require a batsman-wicketkeeper. They will undoubtedly pursue Ishan Kishan but fail to acquire him. They may therefore approach Quinton de Kock as they require a keeper-batter. They might locate Jitesh Sharma.
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Phil Salt will undoubtedly be their first choice because they require an opening keeper-batter. Even if Jitesh is Indian, he doesn’t meet that description, Chopra said.