MI will do their best to get back Ishan Kishan: Aakash Chopra

With the IPL 2022 mega auction just around the corner, all the teams would be looking forward to working on their strategies in order to bring some key players on board. A few months before the two-day event, all the eight existing teams had named their mandatory retentions and also made the tough choice of releasing many great players and one of them are Mumbai Indians. Barring four players, the former champions parted ways with the rest of them including youngster Ishan Kishan.

Ishan, who had led India to the finals of the U19 World Cup 2016 was roped in by MI at the IPL 2018 mega auction after having represented the now-defunct Gujarat Lions for two seasons. The 23-year-old was an integral part of the Mumbai-based franchise during their back-to-back triumphs in 2019 and 2020 respectively and in fact, he was also their top run-getter in the 2020 edition having amassed 516 runs from 14 matches averaging 57.33 and a strike rate of 145.76.

Meanwhile, cricket pundit Aakash Chopra reckons that the five-time winners would be trying their level best to buy back Ishan Kishan at the IPL 2022 auction this weekend.

Mumbai Indians might change their spending capacity for Ishan Kishan, says Chopra

“There is one thing that I think a record might just change that – in the auction, they rarely spend more than 10 crores on a player, I don’t recall too many instances when they have gone ahead and broken their bank. This time at least for one if not two, they’ll be getting close to that 10-crore mark – they’ll do their level best to get back Ishan Kishan and that will come at a cost but yes they might have to look at a different formula for success as compared to what has worked so far,” said the former Indian Test opener while speaking on the Star Sports show Game Plan -IPL Auction Special.

Mumbai Indians have retained the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Caribbean all-rounder Kieron Pollard and India’s limited-overs batting sensation Suryakumar Yadav respectively. Just like their rivals, even MI would be hoping to start afresh at the IPL 2022 mega auction as they eye a record sixth title in the 15th edition of the marquee tournament.