Mumbai Indians may have picked Jofra Archer and will miss the 2022 season due to injury but he will be a potent force at the death with Jasprit Bumrah.
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In the entire IPL 2022 Mega Auction, the team that raised the maximum eyebrows with their buy was the Mumbai Indians. The five-time IPL champions had a purse of Rs 48 crore heading into the auction. Ishan Kishan was the major bank-breaker with Rs 15.25 crore as Mumbai Indians went hard at the youngster. But, if one looked at the trend of Mumbai Indians, they have gone big-time when it comes to death-bowling.
Mumbai Indians needed someone to partner Jasprit Bumrah and nail the yorkers at the death. They have picked Daniel Sams and Tymal Mills in the line-up. But, it is the acquisition of Jofra Archer that could be the game-changer in the coming years. One must remember that Jofra Archer is injured and will not be available for the 2022 season. Franchises noted that and are also aware that there cannot be an injury susbstitue for Archer. The 2022 season might be the time when either of Sams or Mills might get the chance to enhance their death-bowling skills.
Read – Hardest two pills to swallow in my life: Jofra Archer on World T20 and Ashes Miss
Sams has had great experience with the Big Bash League as well as his time with the Delhi Capitals. Tymal Mills has experienced a resurgence of sorts. But, it is the combination of Archer and Bumrah that has gotten social media talking.
Bumrah is the master of the death overs and the Super Over. Archer had defended that Super Over in the 2019 ICC World Cup final against New Zealand in Lord’s. When these two elements combine, it might be a nightmare for batsmen. Archer, in his prophetic tweets in 2014, had always expressed a desire to play for Mumbai Indians.
“I am super excited to be joining the Mumbai Indians, they have been a franchise that has always been close to my heart and I always wanted to play for them. I am so glad that I have finally gotten the opportunity to play for the franchise and share the dressing room with the biggest stars in cricket. Really looking forward to starting a new chapter,” Archer said on his Instagram page after he was sold for Rs 8 crore.
However, Mumbai Indians are taking a gamble. They are not sure how Jofra Archer will flare up after he recovers from elbow surgery after the summer. He has not played any kind of active cricket for close to two years. Whether the troublesome injury on his elbow impacts his bowling in the future is not known. What is certain is that Bumrah and Archer, once in form, can make run-scoring difficult. Mumbai Indians’ Director of Cricketing Operations Zaheer Khan has said that he is super-excited about having both Archer and Bumrah in the side for IPL 2023. It is a sight which many fans are waiting with bated breath.
