Former India and Karnataka pacer Vinay Kumar have joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) as a talent scout ahead of the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) in the UAE.
On Thursday, July 29, the Mumbai Indians (MI) took to Twitter to announce that Vinay Kumar has been appointed as a talent scout for the franchise. The 37-year-old will work closely with the defending champions’ management and the coaching staff.
Kumar – who played one Test, 31 ODIs, and 9 T20Is before announcing his retirement in February earlier this year – will join the former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel in the MI’s talent scout division.
In a first-class career spanning 17 years, Kumar led Karnataka to two Ranji Trophy titles and was also part of MI’s two IPL trophy-winning campaigns, in 2015 and 2017.
Announcing the signing of Kumar, MI owner Akash Ambani said in a statement: “I am delighted to have Vinay join our talent scout program. Mumbai Indians is established on strong fundamentals of discovering talent and belief in nurturing youth. I am confident Vinay will add value to our ideology and scouting strength.”
Meanwhile, Vinay Kumar stated: “I am honored for this opportunity to associate with Mumbai Indians again. MI strives for excellence in every aspect of the game, and scouting talents is undoubtedly their key strength. It's a new chapter, and personally, I reckon it as an opportunity for me to give back to cricket.”
Noteworthy, the five-time IPL champions MI will lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on September 19 when IPL 2021 resumes on September 19, 2021 in the UAE.
(With ANI/PTI Inputs)
