Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan (Credits: Twitter)

The defending champions Mumbai Indians have retained 18 players for the upcoming edition and have released 12 players from the team. Taking a trip down the memory lane, Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2019 final and Rohit Sharma & Co will take pride in the fact that they have the title 4 times, which is more than any other team in the Indian Premier League.

The most successful side in IPL will be looking forward to a fresh challenge next season. Meanwhile, the former left-arm pace ace Zaheer Khan, the Director of Cricket Operations at Mumbai Indians reckons that Rohit Sharma & Co needed a core strength in their bowling unit and the trade-ins were a proof of the fact. Zaheer Khan also stressed on the fact that this season will be a different one altogether as the team process is also shifting.

Mumbai Indians, Indian Premier League, IPL Franchises
Mumbai Indians. Credits: BCCI

The upcoming season is going to be a different one for us: Zaheer Khan

Mumbai Indians have retained their core team including the likes of experienced Sri Lankan pacer Lasith while releasing 12 players. New Zealand seamer Trent Boult, West Indian Sherfane Rutherford and Mumbai fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni are the three trade-ins. “The core of the team is very stable and experienced so this year is going to be a different one,” Zaheer Khan said in a video message.

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Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians. Credit: BCCI

The Director of Cricket Operations at Mumbai Indians also explained the reason why they had to be well prepared for the upcoming season. He said that the franchise had problems in terms of injuries and which is why they had to bolster the team by adding new faces.

“We have had some challenges in terms of injuries. Hardik Pandya to start with has had back surgery. (Jasprit) Bumrah has been out of action with back issues and Jason Behrendorff also has had back surgery. That was one of the concerns and the trades were a reflection of exactly what was the planning for the upcoming season. We felt that we will need some kind of strength around the bowling department and hence the trades with Delhi and RR,” he added.

Retained players:

Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Anmolpreet Singh, Jayant Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni (Traded in), Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Sherfane Rutherford (Traded in), Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult (Traded in).

Released players:

Evin Lewis, Adam Milne, Jason Behrendorff, Beuran Hendricks, Ben Cutting, Yuvraj Singh, Mayank Markande (Traded out), Barinder Sran, Rasikh Salam, Pankaj Jaswal, Siddhesh Lad (Traded out), Alzarri Joseph.

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