Mumbai Indians (MI) are undergoing a transition phase with a new skipper at the helm. The MI management decided to remove their most-successful captain, Rohit Sharma from the leadership responsibility and handed it over to premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of the last Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season. 

However, the move did not pay immediate dividends as Pandya couldn't marshal his troops the way he'd have liked as the five-time IPL champions finished at the bottom of the points table. 

Nevertheless, one positive for MI was the promise shown by their young recruits, which certainly makes MI's future look bright. 

However, with a mega-auction scheduled for the next season (IPL 2025), franchises will have to let go off most of their players. 

Amongst the uncapped players, each franchise will be allowed to only retain one cricketer, making the task even more tedious. 

Let's see who are the likely candidates in the MI roster who can get a chance to be retained for the upcoming edition. 

Naman Dhir

The Mumbai Indians endured one of their most challenging IPL seasons in 2024, ending up at the bottom of the points table after a series of controversies surrounding the captaincy decision.

In such circumstances, it becomes increasingly difficult for emerging Indian talents to find motivation and deliver standout performances. Despite this, Naman's 140 runs across seven matches, along with his solid bowling contributions (though without taking any wickets) were commendable.

His gutsy unbeaten 62 off 28 balls in the final match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) demonstrated his ability to handle pressure and suggests that he could be developed into a top-tier player.

Nehal Wadhera

Bought by the five-time champions in the IPL 2022 mega-auction, Nehal Wadhera is one of the exciting talents in the MI ranks. The ‘Prince of Ludhiana’ had a decent debut campaign, scoring 241 runs and Mumbai Indians recognized Wadhera's talent and decided to retain him for the 2024 season.

He is once again expected to continue playing a crucial role in the Mumbai Indians' batting line-up, providing stability and power in the middle order and hence MI will have to think twice before parting ways with him. 

ALSO READ: Punjab Kings (PBKS) to retain one of these 3 Uncapped Players before IPL 2025 Mega Auction

Akash Madhwal

Akash Madhwal impressed with his bowling in his debut season in the IPL 2023. The Uttarakhand-born cricketer registered 14 scalps in eight matches for the Rohit Sharma-led side during the 16th edition of the tournament. The 30-year-old also registered record-breaking figures of 5/5 when he dismissed five Lucknow Super Giants batters for five runs in 3.3 overs during the Eliminator match. 

In 2024, his appearance was limited to 5 matches and he contributed with five scalps. 

Nevertheless, the right-arm pacer has already given a testament to his sheer prowess with decisive breakthroughs and ability to win matches and MI would be eager to have an arsenal like Madhwal for the future. 

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