Mumbai Indians likely to retain Pandya, Bumrah, Suryakumar, Rohit: Harbhajan Singh

New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh discussed the potential retentions for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Reflecting on the team's recent underwhelming performances over the last two to three years, Harbhajan highlighted the franchise's need to balance experience with future prospects. He mentioned that MI would likely retain captain Hardik Pandya, key pacer Jasprit Bumrah, and the dynamic Suryakumar Yadav.
Additionally, Harbhajan suggested that recent World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma would be retained. He also singled out Tilak Varma as a valuable young talent for MI's future and hinted at uncapped player Nehal Wadhera as a potential retention option for the franchise's bowling lineup.
"Mumbai Indians is a team that hasn't played well in the last two to three years. They've been a champion team, a very good team, and as far as I know, they will definitely think of building a team for the future. But that doesn't mean they won't add experienced players this year. Last year, they made Hardik Pandya captain, and I think he will definitely be retained. Jasprit Bumrah will be retained, Suryakumar Yadav will be retained, and the question remains whether Rohit Sharma will be retained. He has just won the World Cup as a captain, so I think he should be retained, and he will be. That will make four players, and if there's a fifth player, then Tilak Varma will be retained. Tilak Varma is one of those players who will be very useful for Mumbai Indians in the future to win matches," Harbhajan Singh told Star Sports.
"When it comes to bowling, I don't think there's anyone else they would want to retain, so Nehal Wadhera could be a good option for them. He is an uncapped player, so he should be picked," he added.
About the potential IPL retentions for Punjab Kings, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody told Star Sports that he will like to secure a couple of good uncapped players.
"For Punjab Kings, I don't think I would retain any players, certainly not capped players, but I'd be looking to use the right-to-match option for players like Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, and Rabada. Jitesh Sharma is another one I'd consider using the right-to-match for in the auction. When it comes to uncapped players, there are a couple of good players I'd like to secure before the auction: Shashank Singh, who is a solid middle-order power hitter and had a great season last year, and Harpreet Brar, the left-arm spinner." (ANI)