Jofra Archer (Photo Source: twitter)
November 26 brought the deadline for all ten Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to submit the final list of the players they had released and retained ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, which is slated to take place on December 19 in Dubai.
Fans were interested in which players five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) had released and there were some surprise releases. Jofra Archer, whom MI had invested in IPL 2022 despite knowing he wouldn’t be available and only played a handful of games in IPL 2023, was released. Apart from him, big names like Tristan Stubbs, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Chris Jordan were left as well.
In a big twist, MI traded Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore and in turn got Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal. However, the players released by Mumbai Indians could be in huge demand in the IPL 2024 auction.
Here are 3 players released by MI who could be in high demand in IPL 2024 auction:
Duan Jansen
The twin brother of South African all-rounder Marco Jansen, Duan is also a tall left-handed pacer and can bat well. He has extensive experience in domestic cricket, having played 22 First-Class matches, 24 List-A matches, and 32 T20s. He has a cumulative of 98 wickets. In T20s, he has scored 266 runs at a strike rate of 150.28.
Jansen played in the 6ixty tournament and CPL in 2022 for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and finished as one of the leading bowlers, helping his team win the tournament. In the IPL, he was picked by Mumbai Indians but got to play only one game, in which he returned figures of 1/53.
Tristan Stubbs
Tristan Stubbs is one of the newest sensations on the block. The 23-year-old has played a solitary ODI and 16 T20Is for Proteas and has scored 225 runs in the shortest format. In T20s overall, Stubbs has 1105 runs In 58 matches at a strike rate of 147.72.
He can keep wickets and bowls off-break as well. The youngster was bought by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022 to replace injured Tymal Mills. He played four IPL matches, scoring 27 runs. Given his explosive batting and ability to perform multiple roles, expect Stubbs to fetch a high price in the IPL 2024 auction.
Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer was a huge catch for Mumbai Indians, who bought him for INR 8 crore in the IPL 2022 auction despite knowing he was not fit. They hoped that he would be fit in IPL 2023 and form a deadly bowling duo with Jasprit Bumrah. However, Archer could only play five matches, picking two wickets, before his elbow issue reappeared.
Though Archer was in India during the World Cup 2023 with the England side, he experienced pain in his elbow once again, which ruled him out of the West Indies tour. Even though his fitness status is still not confirmed, franchises might not shy from bidding for Archer, given the ability he possesses.