Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will look to forget what happened in IPL 2024 and aim to achieve high success in IPL 2025. However, like any other team, they will need to do some revamping before IPL 2025. They have key players in their pack now, like Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Tilak Varma, and Rohit Sharma, but if we look at all these names, they don’t have another opener apart from Rohit Sharma. Since they released Ishan Kishan, a vacancy has opened up, which MI will look to fill soon. With many big names going under the hammer, MI will likely target a big player to open the innings with Rohit Sharma. See three players MI might target for the opening position in IPL 2025.
Openers MI might target in IPL 2025 mega auction
Jake Fraser-McGurk
This 22-year-old Australian youngster grabbed the spotlight by taking on some of the best bowlers in the IPL, from Krunal Pandya to Jasprit Bumrah, showcasing his batting abilities for all to see. Last year, playing for the Delhi Capitals, he scored 330 runs in nine matches at a striking rate of 234.04. Given his impressive talent, few expected DC to retain him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, but they didn’t. While DC may use the RTM card to bring him back still, if they don’t and here MI bids for him, which they should, considering his aggressive batting that aligns with Mumbai Indians’ top-order needs, there’s a strong chance we may see Jake Fraser-McGurk in the MI camp for IPL 2025.
Jos Buttler
With Ishan Kishan out of the MI mix, the ideal replacement could be Jos Buttler. There’s no doubt about Buttler’s opening abilities, he consistently shines in T20 cricket, whether playing for England or the Rajasthan Royals. Last IPL season, we saw how he single-handedly lifted the Royals out of tough situations and led the team to success. Also, multiple reports indicate that MI may target Jos Buttler and could bid high for this English superstar. If everything goes as planned, we may soon see Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler opening the innings for MI.
KL Rahul
Some may find this debatable due to Rahul’s strike rate, which often comes under scrutiny, but there’s no question about this Karnataka batter’s talent. Currently, he’s not in the best form, but we’ve seen his ability to transform and shift gears while batting. In the past, playing for PBKS or LSG, he played some memorable innings with his powerful shots all around the ground. Since Rohit already has experience opening with KL Rahul, we may see this pairing again if MI bids for him. Also, with no Ishan Kishan in the lineup, the lack of a wicketkeeper could push MI to consider KL Rahul if they don’t go for Buttler.
