3 Possible replacements of Jofra Archer in Mumbai Indians for IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians (MI) ended their fifteenth season of the IPL languishing at the bottom of the points table with just four wins from 14 matches. This was the first time when the most successful IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians returned with a wooden spoon. MI endured a humiliating season in the Tata IPL 2022.
Though there are several reasons behind Mumbai’s performance dip in the IPL 2022, experts reckon poor auction strategy played a major role. MI, which is known for its sensible and canny auction buys, splashed a colossal sum of money on Ishan Kishan, Tim David and Jofra Archer which somehow backfired.
Ishan Kishan didn’t return with impressive numbers, while Tim David was benched for most of the 2022 season after a couple of flop matches initially. However, David showed a few glimpses of his best in the latter part of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the most shocking buy was Jofra Archer, who was clearly unavailable for the Tata IPL 2022. However, Mumbai went berserk behind his name and shelled INR 8 Crores to get his services during the auction.
Though Mumbai has been heavily criticised for buying Jofra Archer in the IPL 2022, it can turn out to be a game-changing investment if Jofra Archer gets available for the next IPL season. As of now, the English pacer is badly struggling with his injuries.
Notably, Archer was earlier ruled out by the England Cricket Board (ECB) for the 2022 summer due to a stress fracture. The speedster has been out of cricketing action due to a stress fracture in his elbow and back.
If his injury persists for longer, Mumbai would certainly look for a replacement for Jofra Archer in the IPL 2023. This article will take you through the top 3 possible replacements of Jofra Archer in Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2023.
3 Possible replacements of Jofra Archer in Mumbai Indians for IPL 2023
Mitchell Starc:
Australian speedster Mitchell Starc is the very first name that comes to mind when we think about Jofra Archer’s replacement. The Bumrah-Starc duo can replicate what the Bumrah and Trent Bolt did for Mumbai in the IPL 2019 and IPL 2020.
The left-arm pacer last featured in 2015 and since then he hasn’t played in the lucrative Indian T20 league. Starc was in line to register for the IPL 2022 auction, however, he backed out at the last moment. If everything goes well, Mitchell Starc will be a part of the IPL 2023 proceedings.
Starc is highly impressive with his swinging deliveries. Moreover, his pinpoint yorkers are a treat to watch. For the fans, it would be mesmerising to watch Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc bowl in tandem.
ALSO READ: IND vs SA: KL Rahul is the 2nd Indian who achieves unique captaincy from sides in the ODI series
Sam Curran:
English pace-bowling all-rounder, Sam Curran can be another player Mumbai Indians can target for the IPL 2023. The pacer has a knack for providing initial breakthroughs and hence is a very fine new bowl bowler.
Though he predominantly bowls upfront, he has been used in the death overs as well in the past. Besides his bowling prowesses, Sam Curran can be a very handy batter as well, especially towards the end of the innings. He can effectively collect quickfire 15-20 runs for his team in the slog overs.
The England all-rounder was unavailable in the IPL 2022 as he was undergoing his rehab. Curran suffered a back injury which ruled him out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 along with IPL 2022.
Ben Stokes:
Filling Jofra Archer’s place in the team will be a huge task and we believe no bowler can fill that as the English pacer offers a different skill set, however, Mumbai Indians would want to go as close as possible.
All-rounder Ben Stokes could be another option for Mumbai Indians to opt for. Ben has been spectacular in international cricket over the years and has been regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the present time.
He can deliver four quality overs with the ball in hand and can torment the opposition with his flamboyant batting skills. Stokes has featured in 43 IPL matches so far in which he has muscled 920 runs at an average of 25.56 and with a strike rate of 134.5. Moreover, he has also scalped 28 wickets in his IPL career.