Former India player turned famous commentator Aakash Chopra said that the Mumbai Indians (MI) might have to change their auction strategy to be successful in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in future. Mumbai Indians finished fourth in the IPL 2023 league phase with 16 points as well. They beat the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator before facing a loss to the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said: “If we look at the way forward, they will have to do something about their bowling. While they invest a lot in youngsters, I feel they will have to change their auction strategy slightly and will have to strengthen their bowling because the batting got you to this stage this time, but it will not happen every time.”
ALSO READ: Viacom18 bags WIPL Media Rights for 5 years
He also stated that the five-time IPL champions cannot solely depend on their batting to win them the title as well. However, Mumbai Indians conceded 200 or more runs six times in IPL 2023 and they won three of those games due to their batting unit as well. While talking about Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer’s injury-related concerns, Aakash Chopra also said that the Mumbai Indians cannot depend on Chris Jordan.
He added: “If you don’t have the bowling to back it up, you will remain far from the trophy. No matter how good your batting might be, eventually it’s a game of bat and ball. The ball is important and if you don’t bowl well, how will you go forward? Whether it is fast bowling or spin, they really have to look elsewhere, because what will happen if Bumrah remains injured? Jofra Archer is a huge name but he hardly played, there are too many injuries. Jason Behrendorff is okay – T20, new ball okay but then what. They will have to leave Jordan.”
READ MORE: ‘Could have gone deeper’ – Shubman Gill on his knock
“Jhye Richardson was a very good pick but he got injured, so what should be done about him? This team has struggled more with injuries. Barring Akash Madhwal, no other shining star was seen in the Indian fast bowling. In spin, barring Piyush Chawla, no one else was seen. Fast bowling and spin – both need an injection to cure them,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
