Mumbai Indians: Three players who are lucky to be retained by MI before IPL 2024 Auction

It has been a mass exodus at Mumbai Indians as the five-time IPL champions released 11 players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.

From their mega-money signing Jofra Archer to Jaspreet Bumrah's replacement Sandeep Warrier, players across the hierarchy have been shown the door by the Paltans as they aim to build a strong squad ahead of the next season.

Captain Rohit Sharma was an obvious retention, while Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Jasprit Bumrah were also retained. The added factor of Hardik Pandya's return is also another massive boost for them.

Mumbai Indians Retained Players for IPL 2024

Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Cameron Green, Dewald Brevis, Ishan Kishan, Jason Behrendorff, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, N. Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Piyush Chawla, Rohit Sharma, Romario Shepherd (T), Shams Mulani, Surya Kumar Yadav, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Hardik Pandya (T)

But looking at their squad, three retained players have raised a lot of eyebrows. Despite being mostly a squad player with sporadic opportunities, this trio managed to keep their name on the MI roster. Here's a look at them-

Kumar Kartikeya

Kumar Kartikeya's amazing story of playing franchise cricket was quite outstanding, but his performances on the pitch haven't been that good. He played four matches last season and only picked up five wickets and he was largely ineffective for the Paltans in the matches that he played.

His chances got sporadic But Kartikeya has been retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of next season, which comes as a surprising decision. Perhaps the price tag of INR 20 lakh is the reason why Mumbai has kept him.

Vishnu Vinod

Kerala-born Vishnu Vinod was bought for INR 20 lakh by the Mumbai Indians in 2023. The batter only had three matches and managed 37 runs in those. Although he scored a quick-fire 30 in the last match against Gujarat Titans, it never warranted retention security.

But the 30-year-old will be delighted to be a part of the Paltans squad for at least another year, but would also have to perform if an opportunity arrives.

Arjun Tendulkar

Arjun Tendulkar's retention is also a baffling decision if we analyze it solely from a cricketing perspective.

Arjun Tendulkar was roped in for INR 30 lakh and he played 4 matches last season. The all-rounder picked up 3 wickets in those matches and went for an economy of 9.36 in the matches.

The 24-year-old switched his domestic allegiance to Goa and has played for them in two tournaments. He managed 9 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Goa but was an expensive figure. Tendulkar's Vijay Hazare Trophy outing has been much better, with the pacer getting 11 wickets in six matches for Goa.

But he is going to have another season at the Paltans in 2024 and there will be a lot of eyes on the player come March.