Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar shared his insights on the success and dynamics of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Acknowledging the Mumbai Indians' dominance beyond the grand stages, Manjrekar pointed out their consistent success against all IPL teams, boasting over 50%-win percentage. Comparing their performance with perennial rivals Chennai Super Kings, he noted Mumbai Indians' thorough victories over various teams, solidifying their status as an IPL powerhouse.
Manjrekar also highlighted the star-studded lineup of the Mumbai Indians, which has featured cricketing greats such as Rohit Sharma, Pollard, Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, and Suryakumar Yadav, emphasizing that the team has become synonymous with cricketing superstars, much like the vibrant city of Mumbai itself.
“One thing you have to say is Mumbai Indians are not just a champion team on the big stage. When it comes to CSK versus Mumbai Indians, you see the playoffs and finals as well, Mumbai Indians have beaten CSK. But overall, in the IPL when you look at all teams, nine teams, which team has the best record against all teams? Mumbai Indians. Over 50% win percentage. CSK is good, but they haven’t beaten all other teams as thoroughly as Mumbai Indians have," Manjrekar said while speaking exclusively to Star Sports during the MI vs CSK Ultimate Team debate.
“When you talk about IPL greats, who do you think of? Rohit Sharma, Pollard, you think of Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Suryakumar Yadav. All of them are part of Mumbai Indians, so when you think of Mumbai Indians you think of superstars. A bit like our city, Mumbai city, which is filled with superstars. That is what Mumbai Indians is. The brand as well,” he added.
Manjrekar delved into the crucial role of talent scouting within the Mumbai Indians, citing John Wright, the former India coach, as the main talent scout responsible for discovering gems like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav. He highlighted the team's knack for turning promising players into impactful contributors, with the recent addition of Tilak Varma exemplifying their commitment to nurturing emerging talent.
“We have John Wright, who was India’s coach and he took India to the next level post-2000, and he's our main talent scout. And one of the talents that came through by scouting was Jasprit Bumrah, turned out to be an ‘okay!’ player, Hardik Pandya, another talent scout discovery, and now Suryakumar Yadav, he was in KKR, but Mumbai Indians scouted him and found a way to make him better, and now we have Tilak Varma," he said.
Addressing team dynamics, Manjrekar emphasised the contrasting approaches between Mumbai Indians and CSK, pointing out that while CSK relies heavily on the leadership of MS Dhoni, Mumbai Indians adopt a more distributed approach, avoiding dependence on a single player. He cited the example of Hardik Pandya's inclusion, showcasing Mumbai Indians' strategy of spreading their net wide to ensure a well-balanced and formidable team.
“Very clearly there is more reliance on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and not just Dhoni the player, but Dhoni completely the leader. And last season was an example where as a batter and keeper, his contributions weren’t huge but as a leader, he made a difference there. So clearly there is more reliance there. As far as Mumbai Indians are concerned, they don’t believe in reliance on just one player, we like to spread the net, and that is why Hardik Pandya has come in," he concluded.
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