"They are looking for their Rashid Khan or Sunil Narine" - Sanjay Manjrekar names a few wrist-spinners Mumbai Indians could look to acquire

Sanjay Manjrekar feels Mumbai Indians' (MI) lack of wrist-spinners could prove to be their Achilles heel. He suggested a few such bowlers they might be interested in acquiring at the IPL 2023 auction, scheduled to take place in Kochi on Friday, December 23.

MI retained 16 players, including Jason Behrendoff, who was traded in from the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), ahead of the auction. They have a remaining purse of ₹20.55 crore, with which they can buy a maximum of nine players.

While speaking on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Manjrekar opined that the Mumbai Indians could look to acquire either Adam Zampa or Adil Rashid at the auction, reasoning:

"Every IPL team needs somebody like a Rashid Khan. They are looking for their Rashid Khan or Sunil Narine. So that's where perhaps somebody like a Zampa or an Adil Rashid could come into the equation to find a leg-spinner because all the other aspects seem okay despite their performances last season."

The former Indian batter questioned the five-time champions for letting Rahul Chahar go ahead of IPL 2022. He also named Tabraiz Shamsi as another wrist-spinner who could be in their thoughts, elaborating:

"So yes, a wrist-spinner. They have let go of M Ashwin. They have had a history of leg-spinners. There was Markande with them. Rahul Chahar - they should never have let him go, he has gone, so maybe an overseas spinner. Tabraiz Shamsi is another wrist-spinner who Mumbai Indians might be interested in."

MI have Kumar Kartikeya, who did a decent job in the four matches he played in IPL 2022, in their squad. However, they might want to acquire a slightly more experienced spinner to bolster their bowling attack.

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"That's a good quality attack" - Aakash Chopra on the likelihood of Bumrah and Archer playing together for the Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians will hope that Jasprit Bumrah is fully fit for next year's IPL. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Manjrekar reckons Mumbai Indians' seam-bowling issues might be resolved in IPL 2023, explaining:

"Last time around their bowling really suffered, but now they have got Jofra Archer, Bumrah - if he is fit, and Jason Behrendoff. That's a good quality attack that they have got, so that's not a problem."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Rohit Sharma and Co. might not be too concerned about the batting department either, observing:

"Batting also, if Rohit Sharma comes back into form, that takes care of it. They will be hoping that Tristan Stubbs gets going too. Tim David has made up for Pollard's loss."

The Mumbai Indians will have a formidable batting lineup if all their players are fit and available. Apart from Tim David and Tristan Stubbs, they also have Dewald Brevis as an overseas batting option.