2 reasons why Jofra Archer's move to Mumbai Indians was a good move and 2 reasons why it wasn't

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians made a splash at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction, signing Jofra Archer for a whopping ₹8 crore. Some sides were understandably skeptical of signing the former Rajasthan Royals man as the speedster had not played international cricket in almost a year.

Jofra Archer last played international cricket in England's T20I series against India in Ahmedabad last year. The Englishman has been unavailable for selection ever since due to an elbow injury.

Mumbai Indians also splashed some cash on Ishan Kishan, who they bought for ₹15.25 crore, and Tim David, who was signed for ₹8 crore. The franchise spent the rest of their purse on the likes of Daniel Sams, Tymal Mills, Riley Meredith and Dewald Brevis.

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In this two-part article, we take a look at why Mumbai Indians buying Archer could be a good and bad move.

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Two reasons why signing Jofra Archer is a good move

Let's start with the positives, shall we? Despite his availability for the upcoming season in question, the Mumbai Indians decided to spend a significant amount of money on the former Rajasthan Royals man. Why is that a good move?

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#1 Archer and Bumrah - A lethal combo

Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah are recognized as two of the best international bowlers in world cricket. So when the Mumbai Indians got an opportunity to pair the two lethal bowlers together, they simply couldn't let that train pass.

One can only dream of the carnage that the two fiesty bowlers could cause when they will be spearheading the Mumbai bowling attack. Both bowlers tend to operate in similar periods of the game, bowling the crucial overs for their side in the powerplay and at the death.

The Englishman has an economy rate of 7.13 in the IPL, while Bumrah's economy rate in the tournament is below 7.50. Partnered alongside one of Daniel Sams, Riley Meredith and Tymal Mills, the duo of Bumrah and Archer could wreak havoc in the IPL when they eventually get to play together.

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#2 A long-term signing

Jofra Archer is reported to be amping up his training slowly and steadily.

After fast-bowlers from the marquee set fetched a huge sum of amount on day one of the IPL Auction, the Mumbai Indians had their eyes set on the Sussex bowler. Mumbai owner Akash Ambani confirmed that the team management considered all factors before arriving at the decision to sign him.

It was reported that the 26-year-old will be missing the upcoming season of the IPL. He traveled with the England squad for their recent tour of the West Indies. While Archer did not play any games during that series, he was there to work on his rehabilitation with the squad.

Since then, there has been no update on whether the Englishman will be available for the 2022 IPL season. Even if he isn't fit for this campaign, Mumbai will be quite pleased to bag his services for what seems like a cut-price amount. A fit and firing Archer would have definitely fetched higher bids at the auction if he had registered for it next season.

Mumbai Indians now boast one of the most fearsome pace units in T20 cricket. With this auction very likely to be the last mega auction in the IPL, at least for a while, the Mumbai franchise will have a fantastic bowling unit for the coming years.

Two reasons why Jofra Archer's move to the Mumbai Indians isn't as good as it seems

Injury issues have plagued Jofra Archer for much of his international career.

It would be fair to say that the Mumbai Indians have taken a leap of faith with Jofra Archer. It's a calculated gamble of sorts, with an insanely high ceiling, but it's a gamble nonetheless. Here, we take a look at two reasons why he might not be such a good signing for the Mumbai-based franchise.

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#1 Fitness issues

Injuries have often hampered Archer's career. He has had two elbow surgeries in the last 18 months and hasn't played any competitive cricket in almost a year. As most fast bowlers will tell you, it's not always easy to find their rhythm after multiple injury layoffs.

It's fairly unknown how the speedster has been recovering. Can he crank up the same pace he did before his twin surgeries? Will he be the same Jofra Archer who will instill fear in the batter's mind with his clinical and rapid pace?

These are some of the answers that the Mumbai Indians camp will be looking for ahead of the IPL 2022 season and beyond.

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#2 Availability concerns

England's stacked international calendar has seen players depart the IPL midway through the season previously.

It's a pretty well-known fact that buying England players for the IPL has become a bit of a concern for the franchises. With England usually heading out on tours in the middle of the marquee T20 league, their players tend to pull out of the tournament to represent the national side.

Sam Curran and Ben Stokes are two high-profile players who pulled out of the IPL auction due to injury and workload concerns. With plenty of cricket coming up this calendar year, including the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, England will want their express pacer to be fit and firing.

England would love to wrap up Archer in cotton wool and maintain his work load in the near future. Hence, we might not see the 26-year-old in this year's IPL. To add to the strains of the international calendar, two elbow surgeries in 18 months aren't promising signs, to be honest. The risk of a relapse will always be hovering as well.

This will be something that the Mumbai Indians will have to keep an eye on. However, they do seem to have a few quality fast bowling options within their squad if Archer is unavailable.