Having won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title five times, Mumbai Indians (MI) are certainly the most successful franchise in the T20 competition.
While MI have some world-class performers in the form of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock, Trent Boult among others, the defending champions are also known for backing raw talents and transform them into finished products.
Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav are prime examples of it. In the 2020 edition of IPL, both of them played vital roles in Mumbai’s triumphant campaign.
While Ishan amassed 516 runs from 14 games – the most for MI last season, Suryakumar aggregated 480 runs from 16 matches.
Thanks to their consistency in the domestic circuit as well as in the IPL, Ishand and Suryakumar recently earned their maiden call-ups to India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against England.
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In an exclusive chat with ANI, Ishan opened up about his learnings at Mumbai Indians.
"What I have gained in the last three years at Mumbai Indians will always remain with me as the bedrock of my cricket. Difficult for me to break it down into details, but it was more of the mentorship I would reckon from the coaches, captain and Zaheer Sir, which really helped me; and my conversations with Akash Sir, he always shown faith in me."
“When I came to Mumbai Indians, I was still someone trying to figure out the transition from being a U-19 cricketer to making it to the other side as a professional. To be honest here, the management at Mumbai Indians brought a lot of discipline in me, at times pushed me hard, and yet allowed me to express myself freely. Now when I look back, I feel this is the best that has ever happened to my game and to me personally," the southpaw said.
Endorsing Ishan’s views, Suryakumar explained the vision that the MI franchise has and how it helps youngsters to rise through the ranks.
"I would say Mumbai Indians is as an institution. The entire set up, the system and process is a notch higher when it comes to Mumbai Indians. They have clear vision, and that's what has helped me in my process and the progression I needed to become a better cricketer," Suryakumar told ANI.
Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav are currently participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Jharkhand and Mumbai, respectively.
They will be soon joining the national squad for the five-T20I series against England, starting March 12 in Ahmedabad.
(With ANI inputs)
