3 players released by MI who would be on the radar of new teams before IPL Auction 2022

Ahead of IPL Auction 2022 mega auction, the BCCI has allowed the two new franchises, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, to sign three players each. The two franchises can add two Indian players and an overseas cricketer to their team before IPL Auction 2022 gets underway.

The two teams can even sign players who were recently released by the eight existing teams. Speaking of existing franchises, the Mumbai Indians (MI) are the most successful franchise among all, having won the IPL championship five times.

Most importantly, MI won the title twice in the 2018-21 IPL cycle. They had a stellar squad last year, but because of the mega auction rules, MI have been able to retain only four players ahead of IPL Auction 2022.

Quite a few names from the Mumbai Indians squad have returned to the auction pool. On that note, we will take a look at the three players released by MI who could join the new teams ahead of IPL Auction 2022.

---

#1 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is no longer a member of the Mumbai Indians squad (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Four-time IPL winner Hardik Pandya is back in the auction pool for the first time since 2015. Mumbai Indians were the first franchise to sign Hardik, and they did not release him even once until IPL Auction 2022.

Hardik is currently one of the biggest match-winners in India. Not long ago, cricket experts compared him to Kapil Dev and expected him to become one of the greatest all-rounders of all time.

Unfortunately, Hardik suffered an injury which impacted his career a lot. He was not at his best in 2021, but the Baroda all-rounder has asked for time off from the selectors to focus on his bowling.

If Hardik Pandya makes himself available as a complete all-rounder again, there is no reason why the new teams will not go for him ahead of the IPL Auction 2022.

---

#2 Ishan Kishan

Many cricket fans thought the Mumbai Indians would retain Ishan Kishan over Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the IPL Auction 2022. However, the Mumbai-based franchise selected Suryakumar as their third Indian retention along with Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.

Kishan is now available for the new teams. Since he is very young, can keep the wickets, play big shots and has captaincy experience, it should not be a surprise if Lucknow or Ahmedabad offer him a big contract ahead of IPL Auction 2022.

---

#3 Trent Boult

New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult is currently one of the best all-format bowlers in world cricket. The left-arm pacer played an integral role in his team's journey to the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 final.

Boult also starred in the Mumbai Indians' IPL 2020 win. It was a fight between him and Kieron Pollard for the fourth retention, where the latter prevailed. Boult is likely to fetch big bucks at IPL Auction 2022. Looking at his recent performances, the two new teams would be interested in his services as well and could try to sign him.