This has to be the surprise buy of the auction. Not expected to be available for IPL 2022 as he recovers from a surgery on his right elbow, the Mumbai Indians splurged £800,000 on England’s express paceman Jofra Archer. Recruiting the English tearaway offers MI the exciting prospect of unleashing Archer and Jasprit Bumrah on the batsmen, but only in IPL 2023. At a virtual presser just after the IPL auction, MI’s director of cricket operations, former India seamer Zaheer Khan revealed that it was team owner Akash Ambani’s “dream” to bring together Bumrah and Archer for his team. “All of us are looking forward to seeing the partnership of two world-class bowlers in Boom and Jofra. This was Akash’s dream,” Zaheer said. Struck by an elbow injury, Archer hasn’t played international cricket since a T20I against India on March 20, 2021 in Ahmedabad.
However, Ambani credited MI coach Mahela Jayawardene for Archer’s surprising induction into the MI fold. “Jofra is a player Mahela (Jayawardene, the head coach) gave his first professional debut to. So we’re happy to have gotten them together. Although it is going to be next year, we’re very happy to have a lethal combination. Tymal (Mills, who was also bought by MI) has been a lethal death bowler. Mahela coaches him in the Hundred and he has managed to stay injury-free,” he said.
Ambani said that once he becomes fit, Archer would form a lethal fast bowling partnership with Bumrah.
“After yesterday, what the fast bowlers went at, one option became very clear to us that Jofra was the only marquee fast bowler left in the list. So, we had discussed his name previously also and of course he (Archer) is not available this year but when he is fit and available, I believe that with Bumrah he will make a formidable partnership,” Ambani said. Zaheer said that “it was very difficult (for MI) to let go of the likes of (Trent Boult) Boult & QDK (Quinton de Kock) who contributed so much to the team’s success in the recent past. ”
MI’s other big buy of the day was Australia’s Singapore-born batsman Tim David, whom they purchased for a whopping £ 825,000.
