3 MI players could pitch. Photo: BCCI
Key points
- Mumbai Indians clinched the 2020 IPL title with a victory over the capitals of Delhi in the final
- Despite the title win, the team management is expected to make some changes to the roster.
- BCCI hopes to carry out IPL 2021 in India, but a final word will only be released next year
Continuing their purple patch in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians (MI) won their fifth title by defeating Delhi Capitals in the final disputed earlier this week. The most dominant team in the 2020 IPL, MI rode skipper Rohit Sharma’s 68v51 win to chase the 157th goal in the final with ease.
The first team to qualify for the playoffs, MI also had the luxury of letting key pacemakers rest, something others couldn’t as they advanced late to the next round.
Despite being the most dominant team and winning the title for the fifth time, the IM team’s leadership is likely to make some changes. In the past, IPL winning teams have made team changes due to various reasons and the IM team might have some new faces.
As IPL franchises await BCCI’s decision regarding IPL 2021, we take a look at three players the Mumbai Indians could release:
Nathan Coulter-Nile
The Australian pacemaker was unable to deliver the goods on a regular basis and it is safe to say that MI will cut costs by releasing it. They could buy it back, but at a low price. At the IPL 2020 auction, MI bought Coulter-Nile for Rs 8 crore. A problem kept him out of playing XI early on and when he came back, he didn’t live up to expectations.
The 33-year-old only managed five wickets in seven games to become a huge surprise. Since MI had spent a lot on him, they played him ahead of James Pattinson in the second half. Chances are high that the Coulter-Nile name will be announced at the next auction and franchises may not be ready to shell out such a large amount.
Sherfane Rutherford
Why not? Traded from the Delhi Capitals for Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford did not play during the 2020 IPL and did not play a single match in the presence of Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya. Since MI will prefer their core, they may be looking for a foreign spinner or pacemaker rather than Rutherford, who has little chance of getting into the game XI.
Mitchell McClenaghan
It was surprising to see the senior pacemaker sitting all season long and it does hint that MI has moved away from him now. MI played all foreign pacer at IPL 2020 but not Mitchell McClenaghan. Surely, now it is not part of the plans of the team and is expected to be released.
Also in 2018, McClenaghan failed to pull off a huge hit. He was tied up as a replacement for Jason Behrendorff. The former New Zealand pacemaker has 71 wickets in 56 IPL matches, all for IM.
