A rare occurrence: MI field only two overseas players in their XI

Mumbai Indians (MI) have fielded just two overseas players in their XI on May 6 (Monday) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Australian batter Tim David and Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Thushara are their two overseas picks in this match. 

David was brought by MI for INR 8.25 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction from a base price of INR 40 lakh. Thushara, on the other hand, was a more recent purchase, getting him in the most recent auction in December 2023 for INR 4.80 crore from a base price of INR 50 lakh. 

Gerlad Coetzee and Mohammad Nabi have been the other two most used foreign players used by MI this season. They have also used Romario Shepherd and Kwena Maphaka this season. 

This is a rare occurrence in the IPL. Usually, four overseas players are allowed in the XI. We have seen instances previously with teams fielding three foreign players, and the fourth comes in as an impact player.

However, MI became the first team this season to field just two overseas players. This is not the first time they have done that. In fact, in 2022, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), they also did the same, as only Kieron Pollard and Dewald Brevis took the field for them. Keep in mind that there was no concept of introducing an impact player back then, as it was started just last season.

Other than MI, Delhi Capitals (DC) too fielded just two overseas players last season, which was incidentally against MI at the Wankhede Stadium. Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell were the overseas players in the XI on that occasion.

However, the first time such an incident took place was in the season opener in 2011 when Jacques Kallis and Eoin Morgan took the field for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 

In the ongoing IPL season, MI had won just three out of 11 matches before this game, and they lie at the bottom of the table.

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