With less than a month to go for IPL 2021 auctions, Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, January 20, announced the list of retained and released players. The Champions MI have retained the majority of its squad.
However, the Nita Ambani-owned side has decided to part ways with Lasith Malinga, who is their trusted soldier since early seasons of the IPL and till now he has not played for any other franchise too. Moreover, the Lankan pacer is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 170 wickets from just 122 matches and was a part of Mumbai's 4 title wins.
Besides, Malinga, six other players released from the MI squad are: Sherfane Rutherford, Mitch McClenaghan, James Pattinson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prince Balwant Rai, Digivijay Deshmukh.
Thank you for everything! There will always be a special place for you all in MI’s #OneFamily! 💙#MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/qjhMLHPTLc
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) January 20, 2021
However, this means, MI can now go and pick as many as four overseas players for the next season. The IPL giants have retained their core, which has enabled them to lift the IPL trophy in back-to-back seasons.
Mumbai outfit followed the expected pattern ahead of the auction. Here's the full list of retained players.
Batsmen: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (WK), Chris Lynn, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare (WK);
All-rounders: Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy;
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin Khan.
🚨 Your 1️⃣8️⃣ retained Champions for #IPL2021 🥁💙#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/yFjNmZZu9e
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) January 20, 2021
Mumbai Indians lifted the cup for a record fifth time in 2020. The team currently has 18 players in their squad with seven spots open which can be filled in the IPL mini-auction, likely to be held on February 11.
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