IPL 2018: Five Players Who Could Be Released By Mumbai Indians Ahead of Next Season

Mumbai Indians (MI) fared poorly in the recently-concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rohit Sharma-led side entered the competition as the defending champions and the most successful team in the history of the domestic professional Twenty20 league.

Not surprisingly, the three-time IPL champions Indians were one of the pre-tournament favourites to lift the coveted title.

However, as the tournament progressed, it kept on getting clear they would fail to defend their title, this time around.

Mumbai revived their campaign towards the end but eventually crashed out at the league stage. They finished the season at the fifth position with just six wins in 14 games.

However, the Mumbai-based outfit will be desperate to bounce back strongly next season. And, in order to regain the trophy, they might axe some players and bring in new faces in order to bolster the squad.

So, here is a look at five players who might not play for Mumbai Indians next season:

5. Adam Milne:

The New Zealand speedster Adam Milne was roped in as an injury replacement for Australia’s star Pat Cummins.

However, Milne did not play a single game in the eleventh edition of the IPL. With Cummins likely to play next season and the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya already in the team, Milne might be released.

4. Saurabh Tiwary:

The southpaw Saurabh Tiwary is more than likely to be released by the franchise ahead of the next season.

Tiwary is not one of the biggest names in domestic circuit anymore and the fact that he did not play a single game this season. Despite the team’s fragile middle-order, it reflected that the team management does not rate Tiwary highly.

3. Mustafizur Rahman:

Not very long, the Bangladesh pace spearhead was one of the most sought-after bowlers in Twenty20s. He had taken the IPL by storm in his maiden season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016.

However, he witnessed a dip in form after he got injured later that year. The left-arm pacer is yet to rediscover his mojo and looked like a pale shadow of his former self.

In this season, he picked up just seven wickets in as many games at an economy of 8.36.

Well, it looks like his time with the franchise is as good as over.

2. Jean-Paul Duminy:

The Proteas star Jean-Paul Duminy was another disappointing performer this season for the Rohit Sharma-led Indians.

With Mumbai constantly shuffling their batting lineup, Duminy never looked settled during the course of the competition.

The southpaw’s batting style is well known. He likes to take his time before going for the big shots.

However, for some reasons known only to them, the team management used him lower down the order. As a result, the southpaw failed to make a mark with the bat.

Experienced campaigner Duminy could manage only 36 runs in six matches that too at a poor strike rate of 90.

1. Kieron Pollard:

It is safe to say that Pollard’s arrival in the team coincided with Indians’ transformation from minnows to a powerhouse. The Windies was an integral part of the team’s three IPL title wins. However, he was big let down this season.

Mumbai retained him through a Right To Match (RTM) card but the all-rounder failed to justify the decision.

In fact, his form was so poor that he was even dropped at one stage. Except the 23-ball 50 against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), he did not make any notable contribution.

Overall, Pollard played just nine of the 14 games. His no-show this season, can well see his association with Mumbai Indians coming to an end.