3 MI players who are on overpriced contracts for IPL 2023

Over the last two years, the Mumbai Indians (MI) have struggled to assemble a formidable playing XI in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and have failed to make the playoffs.

That's partly because a significant amount of their purse is being eaten up by players who haven't delivered the goods, making it difficult for Mumbai to strengthen other areas. While the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav have lived up to their price tags, others' performances have left a lot to be desired.

Here are three MI players who are on overpriced contracts for IPL 2023.

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#3 Ishan Kishan

New Zealand v India - 2nd T20

The Mumbai Indians went all out for Ishan Kishan at the IPL 2022 mega-auction after releasing him ahead of the event. They ended up shelling out ₹15.25 crore for his services, an amount the left-hander didn't justify with his performances in the previous season.

Kishan scored 418 runs in 14 matches for MI in IPL 2022 at an average of 32.15 and a strike rate of 120.11. Although he appeared to be coming into his own towards the end of the campaign, the five-time champions' playoff hopes were practically done and dusted by then.

Kishan's T20I performances have been terrible as well. He has tallied just 200 runs in his last 14 innings at an average of 14.28 and a strike rate of 105.26 and is on the verge of losing his place in the national side.

As things currently stand, Kishan has many limitations to his game. He's an excellent talent who has a long career ahead of him, but MI are arguably shooting themselves in the foot by paying him such a massive amount.

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#2 Rohit Sharma

England & India Training Sessions

When was the last time Rohit Sharma had a good IPL season? Over the last five years, the MI skipper has had only one season where he has scored more than 400 runs (strike rate of 128.57 in that campaign) and only one season where he has had a strike rate of over 130 (average of 23.83 in that campaign).

Rohit has been truly woeful in the IPL of late, having been totally unable to notch up big scores and give his side a good start at the top of the order. In IPL 2022, the opener didn't record even one fifty - over the last three seasons, he has tallied only four half-centuries.

Rohit was MI's first retention ahead of the IPL 2022 mega-auction at ₹16 crore. That is understandable since he is synonymous with the franchise and has led them admirably. But his leadership has also been on a downward spiral, with several dubious tactical and selection calls standing out in Mumbai's consecutive playoff-less seasons.

Rohit really needs to step up for MI in both the batting and captaincy departments.

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#1 Cameron Green

Australia v England - ODI Series: Game 1

This might be a touch harsh since Cameron Green hasn't even played a single game for the Mumbai Indians. The youngster was signed at the IPL 2023 auction for ₹17.5 crore, an amount that seems ridiculous given that he has played just 21 matches in his T20 career.

Green might turn out to be a superstar, but there are several concerns for Mumbai. He's ideally utilized at the top of the order, and MI might not have a vacancy there. The Aussie's bowling workload is also under heavy monitoring, and if he's not able to contribute with the ball, that would leave Rohit Sharma and Co. with an imbalanced playing XI.

MI's heavy spending on Green left them without the funds to shore up the spin and domestic pace departments, which look threadbare. And despite doing so, they have no real assurance that the all-rounder will turn out to be a player worthy of his price tag.