Despite having a top-class team with plenty of match-winners, Mumbai Indians (MI) didn’t have a great previous cycle, for they could qualify for playoffs only once in three attempts.
Despite having a top-class team with plenty of match-winners, Mumbai Indians (MI) didn’t have a great previous cycle, for they could qualify for playoffs only once in three attempts. They came at the bottom in IPL 2022 and 2024, which was shocking, given the quality of players they had.
The biggest reason for their downfall has been the lack of quality Indian bowlers, barring Jasprit Bumrah. Their over-reliance on Bumrah haunted them poorly, and the gap between him and other bowlers was broad.
MI tried bringing overseas talent to partner Bumrah, but the move didn’t pan out as expected, and the bowling unit kept underperforming. Then Bumrah also struggled with injuries at various stages, which didn’t help the team.
However, they will now have a chance to rectify their mistakes by buying a few quality operators to support Bumrah in the upcoming editions. The two prime targets can be star Chennai Super Kings (CSK) duo – Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar.
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For Chennai Super Kings, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shivam Dube look like certain retentions from the Indian contingent. In contrast, Matheesha Pathirana and Devon Conway present a strong case from the overseas section.
That leaves no place for Tushar Deshpande or Deepak Chahar, given other players offer more, and it will be impossible to get them back from the auction. CSK can’t retain any of the two under the uncapped category; both have already featured for India.
One way to get one of them back is to use RTM during the auction, but CSK have a few other options to look from. Even if they decide, the team management might use RTM on Tushar, not Deepak.
Travis Head ✅
Anmolpreet Singh ✅Tushar Deshpande making the most of his first over 💪#SRH 42/3 after 4 overs
Watch the match LIVE on @officialjiocinema and @starsportsindia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #CSKvSRH | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/d9AuXctocS
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2024
Deshpande has been CSK’s most prolific wicket-taker in the last two editions and bowled well in different phases. However, Chahar has mostly been underwhelming and injury-prone, so CSK are unlikely to use RTM on him.
Deshpande and Chahar are terrific new-ball bowlers and will get ample assistance off the Wankhede Stadium’s decks. Deshpande is a local man and knows the conditions inside out.
Further, Deshpande has shown the application to be decent in other phases, as visible from his stint with Chennai Super Kings. He can bowl at various lengths and change his pace precisely to trouble the batters, even though he becomes predictable sometimes.
Impressive bowling by #CSK bowlers 🙌
Tushar Deshpande with 2 wickets in the final over ✌️
Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #CSKvRR | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/R06yp0KQjB
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 12, 2024
Meanwhile, Chahar’s credentials have not been encouraging, but he is a decent bowler. His value will surge in Wankhede, and Chahar can be a new-ball specialist at MI.
Deepak Chahar puts @DelhiCapitals on the spot with two crucial wickets 🔥#CSKvDC #IPLonJioCinema #IPL2023 #TATAIPL | @ChennaiIPL @deepak_chahar9 pic.twitter.com/m78krrKdLs
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 10, 2023
Both have previous experience featuring in the league and performing well, which is a bonus for teams. They are middle-aged at the moment and can go through another cycle easily.
Mumbai Indians can look to get one or both CSK pacers in the IPL 2025 auction, for they will fit perfectly in the team. They also have Akash Madhwal but will be hard to retain him, even under the uncapped category since they also have Nehal Wadhera.
Even if they retain Madhwal, MI would want at least a couple of decent fast bowlers in the squad. Generally, teams prefer two experienced players, with a few young faces in the pace department.
MI have tried several inexperienced players to accomplish the role in the previous cycle. Unfortunately, they haven’t got the desired results, which is a lesson for them.
Tushar and Deepak fit nicely into the setup and can exploit the conditions better than most other options. The duo might be in the plans of Mumbai Indians, and if they go after one of them or both, it won’t be a massive surprise, given their desperation to find solid partners for Jasprit Bumrah.
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