Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Saturday said that Mumbai Indians are looking at Ishan Kishan as a long-term prospect and this is the reason why they spent so much on the left-handed batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction.
Mumbai Indians spent Rs 15.25 crore to get Ishan Kishan back in the squad.
"He has the potential to be the future captain as well, not right now. They still have Keiron Pollard who can lead, Bumrah who is a leader himself, they have Suryakumar Yadav who could be the prospect for leadership as well. So, they want to invest for the next 5-7 years, that's why they went after Ishan Kishan so clearly and they knew that no matter what we needed to go back to Ishan Kishan," Pathan said on Star Sports' show Cricket Live -- IPL Auction Special.
"I haven't seen in the Auction table, Mumbai Indian talking so much and taking a longer break than this in my history of this Auction list," he added.
Kishan is also currently the second-most expensive Indian signing in the history of IPL auctions, after Yuvraj Singh, who was roped in by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 16 crore ahead of IPL 2015. The 15.25-crore price tag makes him the fourth most expensive signing in the history of the league overall.
Mumbai Indians was involved in an intense bidding war with SunRisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
This was the first time Mumbai Indians bid more than Rs 10 crore for a player at the auctions. Before this, Rohit Sharma was the franchise's biggest signing at the auctions, having paid Rs 9.2 crore for him ahead of IPL 2011.
