Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes that the Mumbai Indians (MI) should pursue a strong spinner, such as Wanindu Hasaranga, for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season because they are missing in that category.
Leg spinner Piyush Chawla and left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya are the Mumbai Indians’ major slow bowling options ahead of the IPL 2024. Mumbai has a salary limit of 17.75 crore available for the auction, with eight spots to fill, four of which are foreign.
Aakash Chopra advised on his YouTube channel that the Mumbai Indians should consider buying Hasaranga for 6-7 crore to bolster their spin-bowling resources.
“They need a spinner. If I look at their batting, Tim David comes in at No. 6 as their first overseas player. They can think about Wanindu Hasaranga. They might even get him for ₹6-7 crore. I feel if that opportunity arises, they will pick him. They have Piyush Chawla, but not too many spinners. There is Kumar Kartikeya, but not the same quality. Wanindu Hasaranga might not be a bad option,” Chopra commented.
Hasaranga played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team in the IPL 2023 season. He took nine wickets in eight games for an average of 28.67. He took 26 scalps in 16 fights at an average of 16.54 in the 2022 season.
Mumbai Indians’ auction strategy should focus on fast bowlers, says Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra stated, when examining the Mumbai Indians team before of the auction, that they will need to bring in excellent fast bowlers, both Indian and foreign.
While Jasprit Bumrah remains an important member of MI’s roster, the organization has dropped injury-prone Jofra Archer and numerous other speed bowlers.
“They have released a lot of players. Mumbai Indians have ₹17.75 crore left. They have let go a lot of fast bowlers although they have Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Madhwal, who are very good fast bowlers. But, they will need to shop for fast bowlers. They will need overseas and Indian players.”
Aakash Chopra
The 46-year-old provided a few of ideas for bowlers Mumbai Indians to pursue in the IPL 2024 auction:
“They might go for Ben Dwarshuis and it might work for them as well. He is that kind of a bowler. They might go for people like him and Matt Henry, who are not on everyone’s radar, but just slip in. Speaking of Indian fast bowlers, there are many names, from Yash Dayal to Kartik Tyagi and Chetan Sakariya. It’s a big list.”
Aakash Chopra
In other news, the Mumbai Indians named Hardik Pandya as their new captain for the IPL 2024 season, succeeding Rohit Sharma.