IPL 2024 Auction: Mumbai Indians to release Green, Archer for Pandya’s potential switch – Reports

The five-time IPL winners, Mumbai Indians, have decided to release star foreign players – Cameron Green and Jofra Archer ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction to manage funds following Hardik Pandya’s shock trade from Gujarat Titans. Mumbai Indians have a limited purse heading into the auction, and to add more money to their kitty with an extra INR 5 crores from last season, they plan to let go of two massive match winners.

Australian Cameron Green entered his maiden IPL auction last year with a base price of INR 2 crores. Mumbai Indians chased him till the end, succeeding in bagging his services for a whopping INR 17.5 crores – making him the most expensive Australian and the second most expensive purchase in IPL auction history. 

In his debut season, despite batting at several positions throughout the tournament, Green made a name for himself, smashing 452 runs in 16 matches, including a hundred in the team’s final league match against the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede. That ton also helped MI win the match and qualify for the playoffs. However, Green averaged slightly above 50 (50.22), striking at 160.28.

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Meanwhile, the Mumbai-based outfit had bought the World Cup winner with England, Jofra Archer, for INR 8 crores in the last mega auction in 2021. Though the seamer missed the first season with an injury, he appeared in just five matches the next time, picking two wickets at a biting average of 95 and economy of near 9.5. 

With Archer out with a stressed fracture in his right elbow, Mumbai Indians decided to part ways and look out for better injury-free prospects at the IPL 2024 mini-auction. The MI side has also traded West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for his base price of INR 50 lakh.

Pandya’s shock trade from GT to MI

Although several rumours were doing rounds on Hardik Pandya wanting to rejoin his former franchise, Mumbai Indians, the confirmation came Friday night, surprising the cricket world all over. 

Hardik – Gujarat Titans captain, who led his team to two back-to-back IPL finals, winning the 2022 season, parted ways with them. Though reports suggest the trade between the two teams involved is an all-cash deal, the final details are submitted to the BCCI. 

However, the deadline date for all teams to submit their final list of retained and released is Sunday (Nov 26). 

The IPL 2024 mini-auction will get underway on December 19 in Dubai.