IPL 2023: Aakash Chopra Names Replacements of Jasprit Bumrah in Mumbai Indians’ Squad

Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) cannot find a perfect replacement for the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. However, he shared a few names who could take his place in their squad for IPL 2023.

Notably, Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the cash-rich League due to a back injury. The veteran pacer underwent surgery in New Zealand and he is likely to be out of action for the next few months as well. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said that Bumrah and Jhye Richardson’s unavailability will be a huge blow for the Mumbai Indians, saying:

“Both Jhye Richardson and Jasprit Bumrah will not be available. The simple thing is that you won’t get anyone like Jasprit Bumrah. There is no replacement available, whatever you might do. There is no one in the entire world, so how will you find one in India?”

Aakash Chopra also pointed out that the five-time IPL champions were already short in the Indian seam-bowling attack. He also shared that Mumbai Indians are unfortunate to have Bumrah and Jofra Archer together in the playing XI as well, stating:

“The fast bowling was slightly weak in any case. They didn’t keep Indian fast bowlers at all. Jaydev Unadkat and Basil Thampi used to be there but they were shown the exit door. So they didn’t have Indian fast bowlers and couldn’t shop for them either. It is damn unfortunate if you are a Mumbai Indians fan or the franchise owner or associated with them. You were desperate to see the pairing of Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah, but something else was acceptable to the universe.”

“They need Indian pacers” – Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians squad

Although Jofra Archer was unavailable for IPL 2022, the Mumbai Indians bought him for ₹8 crore in the subsequent edition of the tournament. While Archer is expected to be available this year, Bumrah won’t be available.

Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra feels that the Mumbai Indians need to buy Indian pacers also. He named a few seamers who could be considered as Bumrah’s replacement as well. He suggested Gerald Coetzee, Dasun Shanaka, Wayne Parnell, Dushmantha Chameera, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, James Overton, Lance Morris and Dilshan Madhushanka as some of the possible overseas replacements for Richardson as well.

“What options do they have? You need Indian pacers because if you don’t look for them, it won’t work out on the Mumbai pitches and you will have to go to Bangalore for a match as well. Varun Aaron – who was released by Gujarat Titans and doesn’t have a team currently. Sandeep Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ankit Rajpoot and Basil Thampi also don’t have a team. I can remember only these four or five names. I don’t see any other names apart from them.”