Aakash Chopra opens up on the Mumbai Indians' tactics on Day 1

Former India opener turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that the Mumbai Indians (MI) seemed to be playing the waiting game, which is like MS Dhoni on the field of play, on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 Auction as well.

Mumbai Indians had retained Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard before the mega auction. They bought just four more players – Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi and Murugan Ashwin – on the first day of the auction as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra explained: “They [Mumbai Indians] just saved money for Ishan and spent them on him, which is fine. But as of now, it seems they are playing like MS Dhoni, that they will take the game till the end and then they will start playing.”

Aakash Chopra elaborated: “They were on a mission to get Ishan Kishan and they got him. It seemed they had not come to the auction at all but when they came, they shone. They picked Ishan Kishan at such a huge sum.”

READ MORE: Sanjay Manjrekar believes price tag won’t affect Ishan Kishan

“They were absolutely inactive” – Aakash Chopra

However, Ishan Kishan was the most expensive buy on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 Auction. The five-time IPL title winner spent a whopping ₹15.25 crore as well. Aakash Chopra, however, added that Mumbai did bid for a few players but backed out when the prices increased as well. However, the Mumbai Indians still have ₹27.85 crores remaining in their purse. And, they will focus on the bowling department, with Jasprit Bumrah being the only big name in the team now as well.

READ MORE: Ishan Kishan Becomes Highest Bid Player in IPL 2022 Mega Auction, Goes to Mumbai Indians for Rs 15.25 Crore

He observed: “They were absolutely inactive. They were window shopping while waiting for Ishan Kishan, showed little interest and then opted out. They tried for Quinton de Kock, Rabada and Trent Boult but didn’t buy anyone.”

“It is going to be an interesting day. If we see from the Mumbai Indians’ viewpoint, the first day of the auction was 50-50. But it is not over, till it is. Today is going to be very important. They have not been able to assemble the bowlers,” Aakash Chopra concluded.