Former Indian opener and well-known commentator Aakash Chopra shared his opinion regarding the acquisitions that the Mumbai Indians made during the recently completed IPL 2024 auction. Despite having a tight budget going into the IPL 2024 auction, Aakash Chopra has praised the Mumbai Indians (MI) for essentially filling every hole in their roster.
Mumbai Indians had earlier made a trade of Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and had a remaining purse of ₹17.75 crore before going into the auction held in Dubai on Tuesday. For a mere ₹16.70 crore, they acquired eight players, Gerald Coetzee being the most expensive at ₹5 crore.
Mumbai Indians had a fantastic auction- Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra was seen speaking on his YouTube channel regarding the auction Mumbai Indians had during the IPL 2024 auction held at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai. Aakash Chopra opined that the Mumbai Indians aced the auction with the limited purse they had.
“The auction Mumbai Indians did was fantastic. They had earlier made a trade (Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans) and then the job they have done with 17.50 crores is unbelievable,” he said (4:15).
The former opener for India made note of how the additions of Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka , and Nuwan Thushara have strengthened MI’s seam-bowling lineup.
“If you get Gerald Coetzee for five crores, then Dilshan Madushanka for 4.6 crores, and after that Nuwan Thushara, you have prepared a complete team. They have at least six to seven fast-bowling options,” he stated.
Prior to the auction, MI had two overseas seam-bowling options: Jason Behrendorff and Romario Shepherd. They have added Indian pacer Anshul Kamboj to the current group, which consists of Arjun Tendulkar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Akash Madhwal.
Though spin may seem a little weak at first, quick bowling will compensate for it- Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians’ bowling
The cricketer-turned-commentator hopes that Mumbai Indians’ made a formidable seam attack with their recent picks during auction and their fast bowling unit will make up for the slight weakness in their spin-bowling department.
“They have picked one leg-spinner in the form of Shreyas Gopal but they have Shams Mulani, Kumar Kartikeya and Piyush Chawla. You might see spin as slightly weak but fast bowling will make up for it,” he elaborated (4:35).
The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the five-time champions can be title contenders if they can create a good team environment. He said:
“If the Mumbai Indians are able to keep a good vibe within the team, because the captain has changed and the last two years have not been that good, and get a winning start, they are title contenders. You cannot rule them out at all this time. The Mumbai team is looking very good. The good old team has come.”
Ahead of the auction, MI signed Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans and named him captain of the MI for the IPL 2024 , taking Rohit Sharma’s place. Given that the all-rounder will be managing seniors like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav—all of whom have recently captained India. MI will be hoping that the decision doesn’t negatively impact the team environment.