Mumbai Indians (MI) didn’t have a great season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Mumbai Indians (MI) didn’t have a great season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They could only win four of their 14 games and ended at the bottom of the points table with only eight points.
However, they still had a quality team, laced with top-class players, capable of winning matches singlehandedly. That they struggled to win matches consistently doesn’t take away the fact that MI had the best Indian core in the previous cycle among all teams in the competition.
Even in the overseas category, MI tried a few fresh faces every year, and they did reasonably well in whatever chances they got. One newcomer in the overseas department in IPL 2024 was Romario Shepherd, the all-rounder from West Indies.
He struck at a whopping 271.42 and had a balls-per-boundary ratio of 2.10 in five outings in IPL 2024. Further, he also took a solitary wicket.
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Among all teams, Mumbai Indians might have the hardest job of choosing four players to retain. Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav are certain retentions, whereas Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, and Tim David will present a strong case.
That leaves no place for Romario Shepherd. Even while using RTM, MI would want to get one quality player among the lot they can’t retain before the mega auction.
Fantastic Reply 👌
First with the bat, and now with the ball 🙌
Romario Shepherd is having a special day on a special occasion 👏👏
Watch the match LIVE on @starsportsindia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/1UliBrOJ8M
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 7, 2024
For example, if MI choose Rohit Sharma as their fourth pick, they will use RTM on one of Tilak, Kishan, or David to get them back. MI are unlikely to use it on Shepherd.
Unfortunately for MI, they must let Shepherd go, even though he did well in his limited opportunities, especially with the bat. The only way to get him back is by rebidding for him in the auction.
One thing is certain – Romario Shepherd will be in demand in the IPL 2025 auction. Firstly, he is a solid player of fast bowling and can hit them for big shots from the first ball, as visible in the IPL 2024 auction.
𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 🔥
On Display: The Romario Shepherd show at the Wankhede 💪
Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @starsportsindia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/H63bfwm51J
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 7, 2024
Hence, he is a solid contender for the finishing job by batting in the lower order. Further, his bowling has also improved massively, for he can bowl hard lengths at pace to cramp the batters.
Shepherd has a wicket-taking knack and can bowl useful overs in the middle of the innings. He does two extreme roles – finisher and enforcer – singlehandedly, so his value is bound to be high.
He is 29 currently, meaning he can be a long-term investment for any side. Yes, Romario Shepherd is not a complete product yet, but since he does dual roles singlehandedly, his value will be high in the IPL 2025 auction.
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