Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday, December 2, confirmed the captains of MI Emirates and MI Cape Town for the upcoming inaugural editions of the ILT20 and SA20 league in the UAE and South Africa, respectively.
MI Global announced the appointments of former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan as the captains of MI Emirates and MI Cape Town in the ILT20 and SAT20 league, respectively.
Making the announcement, Akash Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, which owns the three teams, said in a statement: “We’re extremely pleased to announce our captains for our extended MI Global one family for the cricketing season 2023. We have an amazing mix of talent, experience, and passion in both our captains.”
Read Also: IPL 2023 player auction sees 991 players registering themselves including 714 Indians
He added, “I’m convinced that Polly and Rashid will take forward the MI ethos and MI brand of cricket. Both will work with our excellent coaching teams to infuse the MI spirit in MI Emirates and MI Cape Town and win the hearts of cricket fans in UAE and South Africa.”
Meanwhile, international stars like Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, and Imran Tahir will play under Pollard for the MI Emirates in the ILT20, which is set to begin on January 13, 2023.
On the other hand, the Rashid Khan-led MI Cape Town features Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, and Rassie van der Dussen, along with Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, and Liam Livingstone. The SA20 will begin on January 10, 2023.
Notably, MI’s bowling coach Shane Bond was recently named the head coach of MI Emirates, while Parthiv Patel (batting coach), Vinay Kumar (bowling coach), and James Franklin (fielding coach) are the other supporting staff in the ILT20.
On the other hand, Simon Katich will be the head coach of MI Cape Town, and he will be assisted by Hashim Amla (the batting coach), Robin Peterson (the general manager), and James Pamment (the fielding coach) in the SA20.
