MI have found a number of uncut gems over the years through their scouting network.
Mumbai Indians (MI) have a pattern of experimenting with new untested overseas talents each season. From the likes of Dewald Brevis to Marco Jansen to Kwena Maphaka amongst others, the MI scouting team over the years has made a reputation for roping in exciting prospects who have turned into overnight sensations.
The recent Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction was no different. During the event at Jeddah, MI surprised everyone when they bid for an unknown 22-year-old South African-born New Zealand cricketer and secured him for his base price of INR 30 lakhs.
Bevon Jacobs is a relatively unknown commodity in world cricket but is expected to be MI’s X-factor replacement for the Aussie big-hitter Tim David.
ALSO READ: Meet Bevon Jacobs: Mumbai Indians’ Wildcard Overseas Pick for IPL 2025
For the unversed, Jacobs is an explosive middle-order batter and was one of the breakout stars of the 2023-24 Super Smash. He played in a finisher’s role for Canterbury Kings, hitting 134 runs in six innings at a blistering strike rate of 188.73
On his debut against Auckland in December 2023, batting at number 7, the right-hander blasted 42 runs off just 20 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes.
Jacobs also showcased his skills during the recent New Zealand winter by participating in Australia’s Queensland T20 Max tournament, where he delivered a remarkable performance, scoring 100 runs off just 40 balls on the competition’s final day.
MI has unearthed several hidden talents over the years through their extensive and effective scouting network and given Jacobs’ early glimpses, the five-time IPL winners certainly felt like taking a punt on the Kiwi.
Following the signing by MI, an excited Bevon Jacobs opened up about his feelings.
He said to ESPN, “Oh! They [his family] couldn’t believe it. I think they were more shocked than I was. We were all in a bit of a mental state this morning [where] we just didn’t know what was going on. I woke my dad up and he was panicking thinking that someone was breaking in (laughs). I was like ‘no no I’ve just been picked up in the IPL’. So that was a pretty good laugh this morning. No, it was awesome.”
Mumbai are big on power-hitters who have that long reach and that’s where perhaps their scouting team identified Jacobs as a potential IPL finisher.
Much like Tim David, Jacobs bats deep in the batting lineup and can slot in anywhere in the middle-order and lower-middle order. MI can also unleash him as an Impact player. He looks like a batter who can stand and deliver the goods and is loaded with enough power to play the big shots with ease.
Generally, MI prefers an overseas player in the role and Jacobs can be asked to do the job sooner than expected.
While MI added more power-hitters in the likes of Will Jacks and Naman Dhir who are expected to get the preference over Jacobs, he needs to wait for his chance and capitalise when it comes his way.
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