Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC), on Wednesday, completed their first player transfer for the IPL 2020. The defending champions MI decided to release leg-spinner Mayank Markande and roped in hard-hitting West Indies all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford from the DC camp for the next IPL season.
Commenting on the move, MI owner Akash Ambani said: “We wish Mayank the very best for his future. Mayank is a brilliant talent, and we were fortunate to have spotted and nurtured him early. It is a difficult decision for us, but we are releasing Mayank for better cricketing prospects and know that Mayank is on the cusp of emerging as yet another shining star of Indian cricket. He will always be a part of the Mumbai Indians family.
“I am excited to welcome the talented Sherfane into our family. Sherfane has impressed us with his all-round skills and match-winning attitude. His exploits across the world at such an early stage of his career has been impressive, and we believe he will find his home at Mumbai Indians.”
Delhi bought Rutherford for INR 2 crore from a base price of INR 40 lakh in the 2018 players auction. One of the most impactful performances from the 20-year-old came against Royal Challengers Bangalore when he scored a 13-ball 28 and took the big wicket of AB de Villiers with his medium pace.
On the other hand, Markande played only three matches for Mumbai in IPL 2019. After a solid debut season last year where he finished as the team’s third-highest wicket-taker, with 15 dismissals in 14 games. He now joins Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane and Rahul Tewatia to form a leg-spinning quartet for Delhi to choose.
From Mumbai’s point of view, young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar had a breakthrough season in 2019. He claimed 13 wickets in 13 games with an economy rate of 6.55 while Markande ended up picking just one wicket and gave away 59 runs in six overs.
