Mumbai Indians had decided to release Kieron Pollard ahead of the mini auctions this year. Pollard then decided to call it quits from the league. The fact that MI had planned to release Pollard suggests that they had a succession plan in place. They wanted to retain the purse to acquire a premium allrounder from the auction.
Mumbai will ideally want someone to do the job that Pollard did for them over the years. A batting allrounder who could blast his way right from ball one and a bowler who could chip in with a couple of overs.
We look at who could possibly replace Pollard:
#5 Sam Curran
It is no secret that Mumbai loves left-arm pace bowlers. They always had one left-arm seamer in their ranks. Sam Curran hence will be on top of their mind when in the mini-auction. Curran will be one of the few marquee players who will drive intense bidding in the auction. He is a complete package who could bowl and bat at any phase of the innings. It will be some visual to see the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran in the same XI.
#4 Jimmy Neesham
He is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball. Jimmy Neesham has performed the role of a batting allrounder with great panache for his national team. He hasn’t been fully utilised in the IPL. Neesham being a left-hander can hamper the plans of the bowling team at the death. He could bring the different matchups into play.
Neesham is a gun fielder. He is more than just capable of sending down a couple of overs every game. Neesham though understated can be an ideal replacement.
#3 Cameroon Green
He is someone who has shown his prowess as a top-order batter in T20Is. Cameroon Green has the ability to play as a floater in the playing XI. He can clear any ground no matter what position he walks into bat. Green proved to be difficult to get away with as a bowler in the series against India. His hard lengths stifled the Indian batters. Green could be the perfect replacement for Pollard if there is any.
#2 Jason Holder
He is another allrounder whose performances have often gone unnoticed in the IPL. It was expected that the Lucknow Super Giants will make clever use of Jason Holder. But pretty similar to other franchises, they too couldn’t bring out the best in him.
Holder though may thrive in a team like MI who are known to back players to the hilt. He could walk in at number 7 and make use of the long handle. MI can trust Holder to bowl 4 overs on most days. He is an unlikely MI choice but stranger things have happened in the IPL.
#1 Ben Stokes
There is a growing voice among cricket lovers to see Ben Stokes in the IPL. He could arguably be the biggest draw in the auctions if he puts up his name. If Mumbai manages to acquire Stokes it could potentially be the biggest box-office signing.
The team is already studded with stars. Stokes could be the missing piece in the jigsaw that could see them dominate another decade. It will almost be improbable to stop MI if they manage to sign Stokes in the auction!
