IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians' retention strategy exposed in the open by Tom Moody

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody has delivered a bold statement regarding the Mumbai Indians' (MI) retention strategy as the IPL gears up for another electrifying season.

With the BCCI announcing the IPL players' retention rules for the next cycle, the pressure is mounting on franchises to make key decisions about their rosters for the upcoming IPL 2025.

As Mumbai Indians face the daunting challenge of picking their retentions, Moody has suggested key players who should be at the top of Mumbai Indians' strategy ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Tom Moody urges Mumbai Indians (MI) to prioritize Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav ahead of IPL 2025

The former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach has emphasized that Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah should top the Mumbai Indians' priority list in the lucrative INR 18 crore bracket.

His claims were influenced by the Mumbai Indians' last season's tumultuous performance, where Hardik Pandya failed to inspire the team after being controversially replaced by Rohit Sharma as the captain, with the franchise languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2024 points table.

The decision to remove Rohit from the captaincy role was met with backlash, as the MI fans expressed their discontent while booing Pandya during IPL matches earlier this year.

As teams strategize their retention policies, Mumbai Indians' dilemma is only intensified by an abundance of Indian match-winners, making it a staggering task to choose whom they want to keep for the next season.

The scrutiny surrounding Pandya is not hidden from anyone, as the Indian all-rounder has been a dynamic player, but his recent struggles with form and fitness raise questions about his value as an INR 18 crore asset.

Moody argued that to offer such a big salary, players must consistently deliver match-winning performances, a standard that Pandya has struggled to meet in recent months.

MI will have to make some hard decisions: Moody

With Tilak Varma emerging as a promising contender, the MI must consider its options carefully, as opined by Moody. He warned the MI that the retention process not only shapes the immediate future of the team but also sets the tone for the upcoming IPL season.

Tom Moody was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “The way that things panned out in the last edition of the IPL, he would be, I think, a little bit disillusioned with what happened over the last 6-12 months. I would have Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav in the 18-crore bracket, and Hardik at 14. Leaving is up to him, or you can put it down to his performance, form, and fitness.

And when you dissect all of those areas with Hardik Pandya, does he deserve to be an 18-crore player? Is he worth it? If you've got to be an 18-crore player, you've got to be a genuine matchwinner and do it regularly. Hardik Pandya, through his trials and tribulations over the last edition of the IPL, was struggling with both fitness and performance. Tilak Varma absolutely. They will have to make some hard decisions. They will have to make some hard decisions.”

In the end, Moody pointed out that the MI have struggled with loyalty, trying to retain players like Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer in recent auctions without seeing satisfactory returns, and it cost them significantly.

The Aussie admitted that Kishan is talented, but his inconsistent performances raise concerns about his retention value. Moody signed off by saying that the team must evaluate whether his performance justifies a hefty 14 crore contract and make tough decisions.