The Mumbai Indians (MI) have always believed in keeping key players throughout their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaigns.
Before the 2022 mega-auction, captain Rohit Sharma, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, and batter Suryakumar Yadav were kept, and all-rounder Kieron Pollard had a successful career with the team before joining the support staff. Others have also been acquired at any cost, such as Ishan Kishan.
However, Mumbai had to let a few players go, and these players went on to be important parts of other IPL teams. The following is a list of three former MI players who will play an important role in their current teams in IPL 2023.
Special Mentions: Glenn Maxwell, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dinesh Karthik.
#1 Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock has appeared in more games than any other team in the IPL. The hard-throwing batter scored 1,329 runs in 43 games, batting at an average of 34.08 and striking out 131.32 times.
However, the Lucknow Super Giants signed De Kock during the massive auction for the IPL 2022. The new team’s keeper-batter had a successful campaign, scoring 508 runs with an average of 36.29 and a strike rate of 148.97. In a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he even smashed 140 without losing.
De Kock will have a lot on his plate in IPL 2023 because KL Rahul continues to struggle with his intent and powerplay batting. The focus of LSG’s second playoff run will be on his speedy hitting and excellent glovework.
#2 Rahul Chahar
Unexpectedly, Rahul Chahar’s MI career came to an end. During the IPL 2022 mega-auction, the five-time champions tried their hardest to get him back, but the Punjab Kings outbid them and got him for 5.25 crore rupees.
At PBKS, Chahar is the primary spinner. He played 13 games in the IPL 2022 and took 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.71. As the Kings’ frontline spinner, the 23-year-old will once more be in the spotlight this year, tasked with providing breakthroughs in the middle overs.
Chahar’s prominent role at PBKS may assist him in achieving his goal of making an Indian comeback.
#1 Jos Buttler
It’s easy to forget that Jos Buttler played for MI in the Indian Premier League once. The franchise’s destructive keeper-batter scored 527 runs in 24 games, batting at an average of 25.10 and a strike rate of 145.98.
Since joining the Rajasthan Royals, where he has 2,304 runs at an average of 46.08 and a strike rate of 150.59, both of those numbers have skyrocketed. He scored only 863 runs in the 2022 Indian Premier League, which saw RR lose to the Gujarat Titans in the final.
RR may have its most significant player in Buttler. He will continue to be a standout performer for the franchise this time around, as the weight of his runs almost carried Sanju Samson and Co. to the final last year.