IPL 2025 ke playoffs shuru hone se pehle MI ne apna squad kaafi hattak badla hai, kyunki unke kuch key overseas players — Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton aur Corbin Bosch — apne desh ke commitments ke chakkar mein team se nikal gaye hain. Inki jagah Mumbai ne teen naye players sign kiye hain: Jonny Bairstow (₹5.25 Cr), Richard Gleeson (₹1 Cr), aur Charith Asalanka (₹75 lakh). Ye replacement short-term ke liye hain, lekin impact bada ho sakta hai.
Experts jaise Tom Moody aur Wasim Jaffer ka is move pe mixed reaction hai. Moody excited hain Bairstow aur Asalanka ko leke, jabki Jaffer zyada bharosa karte hain MI ke Indian batters pe, khaaskar Tilak Varma.
Tom Moody ka vishwas: Bairstow aur Asalanka will deliver
Moody ka kehna hai ki Bairstow aur Asalanka ki entry se MI ke batting line-up mein ek nayi energy aayi hai. Bairstow IPL ka experienced player hai, aur chahe uska recent record thoda hit-n-miss ho, uski aggression aur experience pressure waale playoff matches mein kaam aa sakti hai. Moody ne note kiya ki Bairstow ne Yorkshire ke liye red-ball cricket mein achha perform kiya hai, jo ek positive sign hai, halanki white-ball aur T20 se woh thoda door raha hai.
Charith Asalanka, jo Sri Lanka ka white-ball captain bhi hai, thoda under-the-radar signing hai, lekin Moody ko lagta hai ki woh MI ke middle order ko balance de sakta hai. Asalanka spin achhi khelta hai aur kabhi-kabhi ek-do overs daal bhi sakta hai — matlab batting ke saath bowling option bhi. Moody ne bola, “MI ki dynamic mein koi major change nahi hoga — agar kuch hoga to team aur strong lagegi.”
Haan, challenge yeh bhi hai ki dono players ko spin-friendly conditions mein adjust karna hoga — khaaskar Bairstow ko jo red-ball se aa raha hai. Lekin Moody ko unke experience pe bharosa hai.
Wasim Jaffer ka zyada bharosa: Indian core pe
Wasim Jaffer ka kehna hai ki playoff pressure mein MI ke Indian batters — Rohit, SKY (Suryakumar Yadav), Tilak Varma, aur Naman Dhir — ko hi front pe aake perform karna hoga. Unhone Bairstow ke impact pe doubt dikhaya, kyunki Bairstow white-ball se kaafi time se door raha hai, aur IPL mein last kuch seasons mein impactful nahi raha.
Jaffer ka biggest focus hai Tilak Varma pe. Unka kehna hai ki season mein uska role up-and-down raha hai. Ek match mein to Tilak ko retire-out bhi kiya gaya tha (vs Lucknow), aur woh mostly No. 5 ya uske neeche batting kar raha tha. Ab Jacks ke jaane ke baad, Tilak ko No. 3 pe promote kiya jaa sakta hai, jahan se woh zyada impact daal sakta hai. Jaffer ne bola:
“Suryakumar ko No. 5 pe nahi bhej sakte, isliye Tilak ko niche bhejna padta tha. Lekin ab Jacks nahi hai, to Tilak naturally upar aayega.”
Unka maanna hai ki MI ki jeet unki domestic strength pe depend karegi, na ki new foreign additions pe jo adjust karne mein time le sakte hain.
MI ki Strategy: Mix of naye faces aur Indian core
MI ka updated squad kaafi balanced lag raha hai — Rohit, SKY, Hardik, Bumrah jaise senior Indian players ke saath naye additions. Bairstow ya to Rohit ke saath open karega ya phir wicketkeeping karega, jisse Tilak ko No. 3 pe shift kiya jaa sake. Asalanka No. 5 ya uske around batting karega, spin ke against stability dene ke liye. Gleeson pace attack ko support karega Bumrah aur Boult ke saath.
Lekin adjustment ka challenge bada hai. Bairstow T20 se bahut din door raha hai, aur Asalanka ne to IPL debut bhi nahi kiya hai. Fans bhi thoda cautious hain — kisi ne X pe bola ki “Tilak is playing tentative, needs to rediscover his form at No. 3.”
Final Baat: Risk vs Reward
MI ka ye last-minute rejig risky bhi hai aur exciting bhi. Moody optimistic hain ki Bairstow ka power-hitting aur Asalanka ka spin-game kaam aayega. Wahin Jaffer ka kehna hai ki asli zimmedari Indian players pe hai — aur especially Tilak Varma ko upar aake apni potential dikhani hogi.
Ab dekhna yeh hai ki playoffs mein MI ka ye combination kitna chalta hai — ya to ye squad unhe aage le jaayega, ya fir pressure ke neeche crumble kar jayega.
