3 reasons why MI signing Mujeeb Ur Rahman as Allah Ghazanfar's replacement for IPL 2025 is the right move

The Mumbai Indians (MI) have replaced Allah Ghazanfar with Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Ghazanfar has been ruled of the upcoming Champions Trophy as well as the IPL season due to injury.

Mumbai acquired Ghazanfar for ₹4.8 crore during the 2025 season mega auction last year. However, he is now replaced by his fellow country-mate Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was initially unsold with a base price of ₹2 crore.

Mujeeb is not a new face in the IPL as he has played in the league in the past as well. That said, this will be the first time he will represent the Mumbai Indians in the cash-rich league.

On that note, let's look at three reasons why Mujeeb ur Rahman's signing as Allah Ghazanfar's replacement is the right move.

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#1 Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the second joint-highest wicket-taker in the SA20 2025

Playing for the Paarl Royals in the recently concluded SA20 2025 season, Mujeeb Ur Rahman displayed solid form with the ball. He ended as the second joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

The Afghanistan spinner claimed 14 wickets from 12 matches at an average of 23.14, an economy rate of 6.77, and a strike rate of 20.50. He played a key role in the Paarl Royals making it to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the team lost both the qualifier matches and could not lift the title in the end.

However, Mujeeb was among their key performers, and looking at this recent form, the Mumbai Indians will expect him to carry forward the same in IPL 2025 as well.

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#2 Mujeeb's immense T20 and past IPL experience adds to Mumbai's experienced attack

The Mumbai Indians are among the teams with the most experienced and potent bowling attacks going into the IPL 2025 season. With the likes of Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, and Mitchell Santner already present, Mujeeb Ur Rahman adds further strength to their bowling attack.

The Afghanistan spinner has vast T20 experience as he has played in several leagues all around the globe. He has played 256 T20s and has picked up 275 wickets at an average of 23.67 and an economy rate of 6.75.

Moreover, Mujeeb is not new to the IPL and has played 19 games in the past, picking up as many wickets while playing for the Punjab Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad.

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#1 Like-for-like replacement

With Allah Ghazanfar being ruled out, the Mumbai Indians needed a mystery spinner or a wrist spinner to maintain the variety in their bowling attack. In such a scenario, Mujeeb Ur Rahman comes in as a like-for-like replacement.

Just like Ghazanfar, Mujeeb is also known for his ability to bowl across all three phases of the innings, be it in the powerplay, middle overs, or death overs. Unlike Mujeeb, no other spinners from the options available may have brought a similar skill-set like this to Mujeeb.

Mujeeb, while primarily an off-spinner, has the ability to mix up off-breaks with leg-spinners and effective googlies as well. His experience of playing in multiple leagues across the globe, along with representing Afghanistan at the international level, will certainly come as a big boost for the Mumbai Indians.