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

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.