“DC did a very good job of going after Mitchell Marsh at the auction” - Mohammad Kaif

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons that the Delhi Capitals (DC) made a smart move at the IPL 2022 auction by purchasing Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh. He pointed out that the 30-year-old provides versatility to the line-up as, apart from his aggressive batting, he is also a useful medium pacer.

The Aussie cricketer listed his name for the auction at a base price of ₹2 crore. After some intense bidding, Delhi purchased him for ₹6.5 crore.

According to Kaif, DC are reaping the fruits of picking up the in-form cricketer at the auction. Speaking to Sportskeeda, he said:

“DC did a very good job of going after Mitchell Marsh at the auction and picking him up because he bowls as well. At DY Patil, when he won the Man of the Match (against the Rajasthan Royals), he took wickets as well apart from scoring runs. Rishabh Pant likes to have extra bowling options and Marsh’s form will help the franchise.”

Marsh was named the Player of the Match for his all-round effort against the Rajasthan Royals. He picked up two for 25 and then hammered 89 in 62 balls. The Aussie followed it up with a crucial 63 off 48 balls in the win over the Punjab Kings.

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“Mitchell Marsh brought his form from the T20 World Cup into the IPL” - Mohammad Kaif

Admitting that the Aussie had not lived up to his promise in the previous IPL seasons, Kaif attributed Marsh’s success in the ongoing edition to his T20 World Cup 2021 performances. He elaborated:

“Mitchell Marsh’s contribution in Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign must have given him a lot of confidence. Such performances give players belief. Attacking batters like Marsh get out (cheaply) sometimes. The IPL is a high-pressure tournament, but Marsh brought his form and rhythm from the T20 World Cup into the IPL and Delhi are benefiting from it.”

Kaif also praised Delhi’s utilization of Sarfaraz Khan as an opener in Prithvi Shaw’s absence. According to the former DC assistant coach, there is no place for Sarfaraz in the jam-packed middle-order. He explained:

“Even if Prithvi Shaw is unfit, the good thing is that Sarfaraz Khan did a good job in the last match. The start and momentum he gave Delhi, he batted really well. He is a good player, who came into the IPL on the back of scoring many runs in domestic cricket. Delhi have used Sarfaraz very well as an opener because there are already too many options in the middle-order with Powell, Axar, Shardul.”

24-year-old Sarfaraz smashed 32 off 16 balls to lift Delhi against Punjab after David Warner perished for a first-ball duck.

DC face the Mumbai Indians in a must-win IPL 2022 encounter at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, May 21.