No Suryakumar, Boult! Irfan Pathan names 4 players Mumbai Indians might retain ahead of IPL 2022

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan recently named four players he feels Mumbai Indians (MI) should retain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. The deadline for the existing eight franchises to submit their final list of retentions is November 30. Each of the eight teams has been allowed a maximum of only four retentions with no right to match option in the auction this time around.

While reports have confirmed about some franchises having made up their minds on who to retain and whom to let go, there has been no official word from any of the eight teams yet. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians, who are the most successful team in the history of IPL, have a star-studded squad at their disposal and are set to face a tricky situation as far as their four retentions are concerned.

Pathan recently picked the four players he thinks MI should retain ahead of IPL 2022. The former pacer picked captain Rohit Sharma as the first-choice retention followed by ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. He also backed West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard to be retained by the side considering his all-round abilities and experience over the years.

Pathan picked Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as his fourth-choice retention for Mumbai Indians. Despite his recent form being questionable and doubts over his bowling in the long-term, Pathan feels MI should not let go of Hardik, who can be a match-winner with both the bat and the ball on his day.

“Among overseas players, it will be Kieron Pollard. No doubt about that; at least in my mind. I don’t know what Mumbai Indians are thinking. He is the guy that has won you games for so many years and consistently. His batting is still top-notch and is still the powerhouse when it comes to big-hitting as well as finishing the games," Pathan told Star Sports.

"So, Pollard will definitely be on the radar. I would definitely go for Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya. I can actually name the other two guys as well. No. 1 would be Rohit Sharma and No. 2 would be Jasprit Bumrah," he added.

Pathan also said young wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan could be one of the retentions for Mumbai Indians. However, he snubbed the likes of Trent Boult and Suryakumar Yadav among others, who have been vital cogs of the Mumbai Indians line-up over the last few years.

While Suryakumar has been one of the most consistent batters for the side, Boult has been exceptional since joining the five-time champions in the 2020 season. It remains to be seen who will Mumbai Indians keep and who will they let go ofahead of the mega auction.