IPL Auction 2020: One player each franchise must retain despite their poor performances

Mumbai Indians- Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan had a rather tough time at the crease. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

The Mumbai Indians have always been known to favor a lot of young talents and it came as no surprise when they went all out to acquire him in the IPL 2018 auction. Ishan Kishan did play some good knocks despite being impulsive and finished the 2018 season with 275 runs. But as MI bought de Kock from RCB in the trade window ahead of IPL 2019, Kishan's spot was always in threat.

The threat was real as despite brilliant performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy preceding IPL 2019, Kishan wasn't in the playing XI for the first few matches as de Kock played well up top. It was only when MI faced trouble in the middle order that they turned to Kishan and this time around, he didn't have such a good time in the middle. He was able to score just 101 runs in 7 matches at a sub-par strike-rate of 101.

That being said, Kishan's performance in the IPL has declined by the years and he has seen a downward slope in his graph from IPL 2017 to IPL 2019. Despite his brilliant showings in domestic cricket, MI might think of the cash they can set free by releasing Kishan and let him go.

But they should not do so. Ishan Kishan often came after Suryakumar Yadav with just 9 or 10 overs left to bat and wasn't given enough time to settle down. He was forced to play the big shots too early in his innings and wasn't given as much freedom as in 2018.

MI must use their youngsters properly and some senior players should make the adjustment in order to accommodate them. Ishan Kishan has the potential to light up the league if he finds his feet and should be retained.