When the Mumbai Indians start their season in the Indian Premier League 2023, they will be driven to win the cherished trophy for a record-breaking sixth time. Jasprit Bumrah will miss the entire IPL 2023 season since he was unable to fully recover from his injury in time, which will be a significant loss for the team led by Rohit Sharma.
Despite a dismal performance the previous year, Mumbai Indians strengthened their IPL 2023 roster at the auction in December 2022 by acquiring some excellent players. Mumbai acquired England pacer Jofra Archer for a staggering INR 8 million during the IPL 2022 mega auction, despite the fact that they were aware he would miss that season due to injury worries.
However, that decision will benefit the Mumbai Indians team this time around as Archer is expected to join the group and be available for the whole IPL 2023 season. Just like many others, former India cricketer and a veteran of the game- Sunil Gavaskar – believes that Archer’s presence in the squad will boost Mumbai’s chances this season and the pacer would be the team’s ‘trump card’.
“Jofra Archer is unquestionably a trump card. Ishan Kishan should also be kept an eye on after scoring a double century in an ODI. And this season, I believe Rohit Sharma will accomplish something truly exceptional,” Gavaskar said to Star Sports.
Mumbai’s potential vulnerability could be the spin combination: Gavaskar
Archer made his comeback to white-ball cricket in January 2023 when England visited South Africa for a three-match ODI series after a protracted absence from the game. Archer rebounded strongly in the second ODI, recording his best bowling stats of 6/40 to clinch the series with the most wickets after giving up 81 runs and only taking one wicket in the first ODI. Gavaskar went on to say the following about his ability to take wickets:
“Jofra Archer’s presence, in my opinion, will be their strongest asset. He has the ability to take wickets early, bowl a few overs later, stop the runs, and take wickets simultaneously. It (the vulnerability) might actually be the spin combination, in my opinion. They have a beautiful new-ball attack, although the spin combination seems a bit flimsy.
