IPL 2020: Trent Boult Joins Mumbai Indians, Ankit Rajpoot to Play For Rajasthan Royals

The upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) will see some changes in every squad. While Kings XI Punjab have traded pacer Ankit Rajpoot for Rajasthan Royals all-rounder K Gowtham, Delhi Capitals released New Zealand speedster Trent Boult to Mumbai Indians.

However, Mumbai Indians did not release any player in exchange. It can be understood that the New Zealand pacer was bought by Mumbai as part of an all-cash deal earlier, although it wasn’t yet confirmed whether Mumbai Indians paid any extra money for this, which Capitals had shelled out for Boult in the 2018 auction. Mumbai Indians also drafted in Dhawal Kulkarni, who has played for Mumbai in the domestic side throughout his life.

On the other hand, Mumbai Have released West Indies batsman Evin Lewis, who was bought by them in the 2018 auction for INR 3.8 crore. He played only three matches in the last season after a hamstring injury rules him out of the tournament. Although he became fit later, he had to be in the sideline after the South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock showed a great performance.

Mumbai were searching for a replacement for Australian left-arm fast bowler Jason Behrendorff. With Lasith Malinga’s absence in every match, Mumbai needed an experienced pace bowler who can do well with the new ball and at the death as well. The owner of Mumbai Indians Aakash Ambani said Boult satisfied all the criteria which were they looking for.

“Mumbai Indians have always taken pride in having a good pace attack,” Aakash Ambani said in a media release. “Year-on-year our bowlers have won us many games, a classic example being last year’s final. We are delighted to have Trent Boult as part of the MI family. I am sure his experience across formats, especially in limited overs, will add value to our campaign.”