IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians trade Markande for Delhi's Rutherford
What's the story
The trading window of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is open, as champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have already started building their team for the next season. In the opening move, they have shipped leg-spinner Mayank Markande to Delhi Capitals (DC), while roping in an overseas batsman in the form of Sherfane Rutherford of the Windies. Here are further details about this trade.
Performance
Markande had a below-par IPL 2019 season
Markande didn't get much game time in 2019. He managed to play just three matches, claiming only one wicket at a poor average of 59. On the other hand, in his debut season in 2018, he made quite an impact, playing 14 matches and claiming 15 wickets at an average of 24.53. Post this season, it was clear Mumbai don't need services of Markande.
Explosive
Rutherford shined as a batsman in CPL
Rutherford rose to fame in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) last year, where he made his debut for Guyana Amazon Warriors. His explosive batting made an instant impact, as he scored 171 runs in seven innings at a fine average of 34.20. This led to him getting a call up to the Windies squad, while he made his T20I debut against Bangladesh in December.
IPL failure
Rutherford failed to make an impact in IPL
Owing to his prolific performance in the CPL and T20 circuit, he was roped in for Rs. 2 crore by Delhi in the auction. However, he failed to make a big impact in IPL, scoring just 73 runs in seven innings at a poor average of 14.60. His best performance came against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where he smashed an unbeaten 13-ball 28.
Author's take
Did Mumbai take the right decision?
Analyzing the trade further, the author feels that Mumbai are right in shipping away Markande. It seems logical that Markande would have better chances to shine in Delhi rather than in Mumbai, owing to the sluggish nature of the Kotla track. With this trade, Mumbai have further bolstered their batting prowess, whereas they already have a quality bowling line-up, led by Jasprit Bumrah.