It seemed like Mumbai Indians wanted someone who can fill the void left by Lasith Malinga. When it came to impeccable accuracy at the death, the Sri Lankan was in a league of his own. He officially called time on his glittering franchise career last year, leaving Jasprit Bumrah somewhat alone in the mix of fast bowlers. Bumrah enjoyed the company of Trent Boult, who was a key bowler for Mumbai Indians in the last two IPL seasons.
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But with Boult's exit to Rajasthan Royals for ₹8 crore, five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Sunday decided to splurge the same amount on an injured Jofra Archer, who is currently being seen as a long-term investment. Despite the England paceman's unavailability in the 2022 edition of the T20 league, Mumbai were determined to get Archer. They secured him on Day 2 of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction after an intense bidding war with Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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It remains to be seen whether Archer steps into Malinga's shoes but former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Mumbai has pulled off a "masterstroke" at the two-day event. The Mumbai think tank seemed silent for most part of the auction before they shelled out a staggering sum to sign Archer.
"Mumbai Indians were waiting for Archer's name to come. It's a masterstroke. There are no two ways about it. Even if Archer doesn't play for one year, they will have Bumrah and Archer bowling together. It would be like Malinga and Bumrah bowling together for the franchise," Irfan told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}"Mumbai Indians were waiting for Archer's name to come. It's a masterstroke. There are no two ways about it. Even if Archer doesn't play for one year, they will have Bumrah and Archer bowling together. It would be like Malinga and Bumrah bowling together for the franchise," Irfan told Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}Mohammad Kaif is also optimistic about Archer's future with the most successful IPL franchise. "We have not seen him in action for over six months. We don't know when will he return but will be an excellent pick for Mumbai in the next three-four years. He will be phenomenal with Bumrah," he said.
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Mumbai Indians owner Aakash Ambani also revealed what went into signing Archer, saying they are currently looking at it from an investment point of view. "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 during the break.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians broke the bank to pick the most expensive player of this year's auction in wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. They got him for a record ₹15.25 crore. The franchise on Day 2 also picked up Tim David for ₹8.25 crore. The Singapore international of Australian origin is being seen as a potential finisher after Hardik Pandya's exit.