Mumbai Indians Predicted Retention List 2022: MI look to retain these four players

Mumbai, November 26: Mumbai Indians failed to defend their title in IPL 2021, and in fact, they did not even reach the knockout stages. The Rohit Sharma-led outfit will be eager to regroup and launch a stronger campaign in IPL 2022 and the first step will be the mega auction.

We are looking at the players who could be potentially be retained by the MI ahead of the mega auction that could be held in either December or January.

1. Rohit Sharma

The MI will retain Rohit Sharma, the captain who led them to a record 5 IPL titles. It is all the more certain because Rohit is the current T20I captain of India and the MI would like to have national skipper as their leader too. Rohit went through a blip in the IPL 2021 as a batsman, often struggling to make an impact as batsman at the top. It had put that extra dollop of pressure on middle-order that itself did not function to the optimum level. But Rohit has showed sparks in the T20I series against New Zealand, emerging the highest run-getter, and he would be coming with a lot more confidence.

2. Kieron Pollard

If Mumbai are going to retain a foreign player, then the first name on that list will be Pollard. He is an important member of MI, part of their leadership group and stands in as skipper when Rohit is unavailable. The Trinidadian continues to be an impact player with bat down the order, and occasionally he can give MI the advantage with the ball too. Pollard should be able to get a retention contract from the Mumbai Indians management.

3. Jasprit Bumrah

This is a no-brainer. MI will retain one of the best fast bowlers in contemporary cricket. Bumrah once again led the MI attack with aplomb in IPL 2021, emerging as their top wicket-taker but there was not enough support for him from the other end. It could also be because of the long time he had to live in a bio-bubble that he looked a bit jaded. Bumrah looked a tired man in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and he has been given rest in the T20I and Test series against New Zealand. Bumrah should be fresh from that nearly three weeks of rest and MI would hope that the high-impact Bumrah will make a reappearance in the IPL 2022.

4. Ishan Kishan / Suryakumar Yadav

This could be a tight call for the Mumbai Indians think tank. Both Ishan and Surya have played big roles in their title runs in the past. Ishan looked a bit out of depth in the initial part of the IPL 2021, and was even benched for a match. But since then he looked to be in good form and played some cracking innings. Even if MI do not retain either of them, the management could buy back them from the auction. But at this stage, Ishan looks to have better chance getting a retainer contract from the MI management because he also brings in that additional skill-set — wicketkeeping.