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Cricket Players‘They made a lot of compromises to get Ishan and Jofra’: Manjrekar dissects Mumbai Indians' strategy at IPL auction
Mumbai Indians did not place any strong bids throughout the first half of Day 2 of the IPL mega auction before shelling out ₹8 crore for Jofra Archer.
Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Mumbai Indians (MI) were silent through the major part of the two-day auction but the think-tank shelled out over ₹23 crore for two particular players. On the first day, Mumbai broke the bank to pick wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for ₹15.25 crore. The Jharkhand opener is anticipated to partner skipper Rohit Sharma at the top.
After making the most expensive purchase, the franchise splurged ₹8 crore on Day 2 to acquire an injured Jofra Archer, who will not be playing in this year's IPL. The England paceman would form a lethal partnership with Jasprit Bumrah in future.
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Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar also believes that Mumbai Indians made a lot of "compromises" to get Ishan and Archer. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that the current unit doesn't look star-studded due to the management's move of shelling out a major chunk of their purse on both the players.
"Jofra Archer is just a brilliantly gifted bowler and he's done it in the IPL before. He's your 'super over' bowler, in fact, there might be a fight between the two as to who will bowl the super over. But the mystery has been unravelled - why was Mumbai Indians so cautious and bailing out - because 23 crores was spent on two players - Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer. Jofra Archer was a real suspect, who would've thought who would think like this," Manjrekar said on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Live -- IPL Auction Special'.
"That this is a guy who's not available this season, but they knew if we bid for him now, you can get him at a very cheap price for 2023 and 2024 but half the purse spent on two players and hence the caution with the others."
"As a result, we are not looking at a star-studded Mumbai Indians team, normally you see some big names in that team, but they made a lot of compromises to get Ishan and Jofra," he further added.
Mumbai Indians are ready to sacrifice one year as they are looking at Archer as a long-term investment. Team owner Akash Ambani also explained the rationale behind getting the injury-prone cricketer for such a hefty price.
"Jofra has been a player Mahela gave his first professional debut to and since then we have been thinking about them as a pair. So happy that we got them together. Although he is going to play next year, we are very happy to have Jofra and Bumrah make a lethal pair for our bowling attack,” he said.
The bowling attack of Mumbai will also feature Tymal Mills, who is yet to prove his mettle in the IPL. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore player is expected to complement Bumrah till Archer returns to action. Mumbai also bought Daniel Sams for ₹2.60 crore after a fierce bidding war with Lucknow Supergiants.
Tim David will also be seen in Mumbai Indians jersey in the upcoming edition. The hard-hitting Singaporean batter, who can fill the void left by Hardik Pandya, was bought for ₹8.25 crore.
