Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that the Mumbai Indians have already brought in changes with Mahela Jayawardene being reappointed as head coach and the franchise will look to retain the core, which is formed entirely by Indians. He said that even if they keep all their five core players plus one uncapped player back with Rs 79 crores, they will still be at an advantage.

Five-time champions Mumbai finished last in IPL 2024 and it was obvious that the management will rope in changes. On Sunday, October 13, Jayawardene replaced Mark Boucher as the head coach of the franchise. He will now work with Hardik Pandya at the helm of the team.

Pandya's appointment as the captain reportedly didn't go down well with many individuals in the dressing room and the issues reflected in their performance. It still needs to be seen if Rohit Sharma, who was removed from captaincy, decides to stay in the franchise.

"Mahela Jayawardene is back. So some changes have started happening. The Mumbai Indians are trying to retain their core as well, considering the form Hardik Pandya is in and they have Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma/Ishan Kishan," Chopra said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

"After that, they have Nehal Wadhera. I mean they have plenty. So they might retain 5+1 and reach the auction after spending 79 crores. They are the ones who can manage because the six players they will retain are going to be part of the XI and all will be Indians," Chopra said.

Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, Mumbai had retained Rohit, ace India pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Surykumar Yadav and Kieron Pollard. They surprisingly released Pandya, who was picked up by the Gujarat Titans as their skipper and led them to the title in their maiden season.

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