Marco Jansen

Marco Jansen. Photo: Gallo Images

Marco Jansen snapped up by Mumbai Indians at IPL auction

At the Mumbai Indians, Marco Jansen will be afforded the opportunity to work with former New Zealand international Shane Bond who serves as the team’s bowling coach.

Marco Jansen

Marco Jansen. Photo: Gallo Images

Warriors allrounder Marco Jansen has been snapped up at the Indian Premier League auction by the Mumbai Indians in a surprising move.

At just 20-years-old, Jansen is on the Proteas radar and toured Pakistan with the Test squad recently but is yet to make his international debut.

Mumbai Indians swoop

In fact, Jansen has played just four domestic T20s but the left-arm quick, who is also a handy batsman is a very exciting prospect.

At the Mumbai Indians, Jansen will be afforded the opportunity to work with former New Zealand international Shane Bond who serves as the team’s bowling coach.

Jansen was the final overseas player snapped up by the Mumbai Indians who brought in four seamers to fill their overseas player slots. The franchise released Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga, Kiwi quick Mitchell McClenaghan, Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile and his countryman James Pattinson.

Mumbai went back in for Coulter-Nile, resigning him along with two more Kiwi seamers. Adam Milne will bring raw pace while Jimmy Neesham has oodles of experience and is a devastating finisher, towards the tail-end of his career the Black Caps stalwart has been picked more for his explosive batting than his now medium pace bowling.

Who is Marco Jansen

Jansen is one half of a set of cricket-playing twins from the North West Province. He and his brother Duan had the privilege of bowling during an India net session on their 2018 tour of South Africa.

Duan currently plays for the Knights franchise in the Free State while Marco has made the move down to the Eastern Cape to turn out for the Warriors.

Marco Jansen was named in the the South Africa national under-19 cricket team’s squad for the 2019 tour of India so the 2021 IPL will not be his first taste of cricket in the country.

Jansen could prove to be a real bargain buy for the Mumbai Indians but is likely to act as cover for the likes of Coulter-Nile, Milne and the Indians first-choice overseas quick Trent Boult.

The young Warriors paceman will also get an up close look at India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, while as a left-arm quick, there are few players Jansen could do better to have as a potential role model than Boult.

Jansen has 52 First-Class wickets to his name from just a dozen matches and provided he can remain injury-free could be an international player of some repute.

He is one of just two South Africans bought at auction with Chris Morris fetching a record fee.