NEW DELHI: Virender Sehwag, the former Indian opener, has recently urged the Mumbai Indians to release some of their key players such as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan in an IPL 2025 mega auction. According to Sehwag, MI should retain only Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav for the next season.
MI did not have a good run in IPL 2024 thus far despite having a star-studded lineup. The Indians are at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 13 games. Before this season started, Hardik Pandya took captain’s armband from Rohit Sharma but unfortunately it has not yielded good results.
Speaking on Cricbuzz ahead of MI’s final game of the season against Lucknow Super Giants, Sehwag used a Bollywood analogy to emphasize the need for performance over star power.”Tell me something. Having Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan in one film won’t guarantee a hit. Will it? You will have to perform right? You need a good script. Similarly all these big names can only perform when they come together and play on ground. One century by Rohit Sharma and MI lost where are other performances?” said Sehwag.
“Kishan batted through every innings, he couldn’t get past the Powerplay though. At this stage there are only two names that definitely will be retained – Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav. These two will be first two names put up for retention. And what happens if you’re down to your third or fourth option?”
Sehwag was supported by another ex-Indian batter Manoj Tiwary who also felt that MI should retain only Bumrah and Surya then make either one Captain in next year’s season.He warned about retaining any foreigners as well Tim David.
“I am also looking at Bumrah and SKY as the two players who will be retained by Mumbai Indians. No one beyond them, and no foreign players either. Tim David has not lived up to the hype. My advice to management would be retain only two players – Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah – and make one of the two captains. Because I’m not keeping Rohit also because when I see him it looks like he doesn’t want to stay,” said Tiwary.
