With the franchises getting ready to finalise the list of players they want to retain ahead of the mega auction for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has named a list of players Mumbai Indians (MI) should go with.

The five-time champions have plenty of match-winners in the side, therefore, the MI team management is expected to face lots of problems in finalising those players they would retain before entering the auction.

According to the players’ retention rules, franchises are supposed to retain four players with a combination of either two Indians and as many overseas or three Indians and one foreign player. Notably, all teams have until November 30 to decide the four cricketers they have to retain, and while it may be a challenging decision for the teams, Pathan has revealed his choice of players for the Mumbai-based franchise.

Pathan started by naming the overseas player Kieron Pollard as his first choice. He reckoned that the hard-hitting West Indies captain should be an automatic pick as no one can match the value he brings to any side. Pathan termed Pollard as the match-winner and a tremendous finisher for MI.

“Among overseas players, it will be Kieron Pollard. No doubt about that, at least in my mind. I don’t know what Mumbai Indians are thinking. He is the guy that has won you games for so many years and consistently. His batting is still top-notch and is still the powerhouse when it comes to big-hitting as well as finishing the games,” said Pathan on Star Sports during the lunch interval on Day 2 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur.

When it comes to other players, Pathan went with three Indians in the form of Hardik Pandya, captain Rohit Sharma and frontline pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

“So, Pollard will definitely be on the radar. I would definitely go for Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya. I can actually name the other two guys as well. No. 1 would be Rohit Sharma, and No. 2 would be Jasprit Bumrah,” Pathan added.