IPL 2020 Auction: Mumbai Indians end up as the strongest and most well-balanced side on paper

Mumbai Indians went into the auctions with the least purse remaining, but with one of the most balanced squads in the IPL. They did not have any major loopholes to cover, except for getting a few backups for certain slots. The made two major buys - Chris Lynn as the explosive top-order batsman and Nathan Coulter-Nile as the backup overseas pacer. In addition to that, they bought three uncapped players.

Buys at the auctions: Chris Lynn (2 cr), Nathan Coulter-Nile (8 cr), Saurabh Tiwary (50L), Mohsin Khan(20L), Digvijay Deshmukh (20L), Prince Balwant Rai (20L)

Mumbai Indians Full squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, Kieran Pollard, Quinton de Kock (WK), Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Ishan Kishan, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aditya Tare, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayant Yadav, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Saurabh Tiwary, Mohsin Khan, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai

#IPL2020 - Here. We. Come 👊💙#IPLAuction #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #CricketMeriJaan #IPLAuction2020 pic.twitter.com/yXiVuFWUf1

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 19, 2019

Positive takeaways:

Mumbai Indians had one of the most balanced squads coming into the auctions, with almost all bases covered. The primary objective was to get backups in the pace department and an overseas hard-hitting batsman. The very first player to go under the hammer, Chris Lynn, was bought by MI at his base price of INR 2 crores. It was surely a bargain buy as Lynn can be a match-winner at the top of the order. More so at the flat wickets of Wankhede. Lynn can very well fit into the XI as an opener or even at number three.

Mumbai Indians got into a bidding war with arch-rivals Chennai Superkings for Nathan Coulter-Nile. The Australian pacer was finally sold to MI at INR 8 crores. The purchase did raise a few eyebrows but it was a wise move to get in Coulter-Nile, considering the need of backups for Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga. In addition to his wicket-taking knack, Coulter-Nile's batting ability down the order will give the team additional balance.

The last time when Nathan Coulter-Nile was in Mumbai 😉#IPLAuction #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #CricketMeriJaan #IPLAuction2020 pic.twitter.com/WhGvGvJTiT

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) December 19, 2019

Saurabh Tiwary was snapped at his base price of INR 50 lakhs, as a backup for the middle order. They buffed up the Indian pace department by roping in young pacers Mohsin Khan and Digvijay Deshmukh, before finally buying all-rounder Prince Balwant Rai.

As expected, Mumbai were mere spectators for most part of the auction; the reason being they already had a well-balanced team.

Areas of concern:

There was no major loophole in the MI squad going into the auctions. The only area of concern might be the spin department. The only major wicket-taking option among spinners is Rahul Chahar, but he has no backups after they traded Mayank Markande to Delhi Capitals. Other spin bowling options include Anukul Roy, Krunal Pandya and Jayant Yadav, but none of them is a reliable wicket-taker. This might hold them at a position of disadvantage on turning tracks.

Summary:

Mumbai Indians had a decent outing at the auctions. The fact that they already had a well-balanced squad reduced their participation in the auctions. However, they had two buys who will most likely be in the starting XI. The already strong squad only got stronger with more balance and more bench strength after the auctions. Their approach was quite clinical; they did not target many players, but got whom they wanted and then went for a few backups in the form of uncapped players.

Probable Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Chris Lynn, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Trent Boult