IPL 2018: 3 players Mumbai Indians regret not retaining

Selling Jos Buttler has proved to be costly for Mumbai Indians. — Releasing Jos Buttler has proved to be costly for Mumbai Indians.

The Mumbai Indians had a forgettable campaign this season as they could not find a spot in the playoffs. They managed to cross the victory line only 6 times in their 14 games. Despite having a formidable batting line-up and a plethora of bowling resources, they failed to make use of it and struggled to find a proper combination throughout the season.

Mumbai Indians retained India's limited over vice-captain Rohit Sharma, enigmatic all-rounder Hardik Pandya and death over specialist Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the auction. They used their 2 Right to Match (RTM) cards to bring back Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya. Mumbai Indians' judgemental error of retaining Pollard using RTM was one of the biggest blunders made by them in the auction.

Their elimination can also be attributed to Mumbai' ineffective bowling, sloppy fielding and otiose decision-making throughout the season. Lack of a reliable overseas pacer too was a key reason behind Mumbai's elimination.

Mumbai Indians regret of not opting few players whom they had in their previous seasons. These players have proved themselves successful for other franchises and have delivered their talents to the fullest.

Here we take a look at the players who Mumbai Indians regret releasing from the victorious 2017 squad.

#3 Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana, the young sensation from Delhi had raised the eyebrows of many cricket fans due to his impressive performances in this season of IPL. He had displayed excellent all-rounded skills which include his substantial batting and his well-timed wicket-taking abilities.

He played 15 games this season and scored 304 runs at a strike-rate of 131.03. He also has 4 dismissals to his name. His 4 scalps also include those attributes of modern-day batting greats; De Villiers and Virat Kohli.

As Mumbai Indians lost many games due to various reasons, one among which is the lack of a right arm off-spinner, they should have undoubtedly bid for Rana who would have proved to be a worthy batting all-rounder.

Apart from Krunal Pandya and Mayank Markande, Mumbai Indians could have put the young prodigy to good use had they acquired him, to have achieved a better run of form.

#2 Jos Buttler

The wicket-keeper batsman has been a significant player in this IPL due to his splendid wicket-keeping skills and first-class batting performances. Promoting Buttler up the order had paid dividends for Rajasthan Royals as he scored 548 runs at an eye-catching average of 54.80. Added to that, he also has a tremendous strike rate of 155.24 in this IPL.

Undeniably, his performances were very instrumental in Rajasthan Royals' late upsurge during the last phase of the tournament.

Had Mumbai Indians used the Right to Match (RTM) card for Buttler instead of Pollard, they could have seen a huge difference in the points table.

#1 Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has been one of the most under-rated cricketers in the history of IPL. Having played for Mumbai Indians in the past 8 seasons, he was acquired by Chennai Super Kings at a bargain price of Rs. 2.2 crores.

As the tournament progressed, he had become one of the most prized possessions of Chennai Super Kings as he provided brilliant starts to the team as an opener. He has also scored mammoth 602 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 43. His knocks played a vital role in Chennai's qualification to the finals.

As Mumbai Indians never had a reliable opening partner for Suryakumar Yadav, Rayudu undoubtedly would have been the ideal choice.

Do you agree with this list? Disagree? Tell us in the comments below!