Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
This season's Indian Premier League (IPL) has been suspended, and there is immense uncertainty about its continuation. But the speculation in sports never stops. IPL 2022 is going to be an enormous affair because of the mega auction and inclusion of 2 new franchise. Before the IPL mega auction, all the franchises have to release all the players from their squad and will be allowed to retain only 5 players (Retain & Right to Match).
Mumbai Indians have been the most successful team in the history of the Indian Premier League. They have won 5 titles from 6 finals they have played in 13 seasons. In the 14th season, they stand in 4th place after 7 matches. But this season of IPL being in doubt, MI would try to prepare for the next season. Let's look at a list of 5 players Mumbai might retain from their powerful squad ahead of the IPL 2022 auction:
1. Rohit Sharma
The hitman joined the MI Paltan in 2011, and since then, he has become a crucial member of the squad. Without any thought, this man is going to be the first name on the retention list. Under his leadership, Indians have tasted the IPL silverware five times. Apart from this, Rohit is at number four in the all-time leading run-scorer in IPL with 5480 runs in 207 matches.
2. Jasprit Bumrah
Another certain name on the retention list will be Jasprit Bumrah. His short run-up and quite unusual bowling action are enough to deceive even the best batsmen in the world. There are not many bowlers who can match his death bowling skills. Since joining Mumbai in 2013, he has been instrumental in their success. Jasprit has an excellent record in IPL; he has scalped 115 wickets in 99 matches with an economy rate of 7.39.
3. Hardik Pandya
Hardik is one of those players, who has guided his career into the international circuit through outstanding IPL performances. He's been part of the paltan since 2015, and in the following year, he got his maiden national team call-up. His all-around stats are very impressive, and he can also be considered as a future MI captain. In 87 matches played in blue jersey, Hardik has scored 1401 runs and taken 42 wickets. His batting numbers might not look very fancy because he has batted as a finisher for the majority of his career, and he is very much capable of hitting big sixes.
4. Kieron Pollard
Although he is from West Indies, the love & affection he gets being in Mumbai Indians feels like he is a local lad. Since 2010, he has lived up to his reputation of winning the game single-handedly. Being the key player for MI for almost 11 years, it is hard to ignore a player like Pollard, who had won the matches for the team when everyone lost hope. Recently he scored 87 against CSK and helped chase 218 when other batters were struggling. Pollard has featured in 171 games and scored 3191 runs with a strike rate of over 150. He has also chipped in with 63 wickets for the Paltan.
5. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar has been in excellent form for MI from the start of 2018 when he joined them. The top-order batter is one of the most consistent players for the team. In the last year IPL, he scored 480 runs in 16 games with an average of above 40. This year only, he also made his debut for India in T20I against England.
The IPL rules restrict a team to only retain 3 players or use 3 RTM card for capped players. This would give a headache to Mumbai Indians' team management ahead of the auction.