Under the captaincy of Ricky Ponting, Mumbai Indians (MI) looks all set to win their maiden IPL this season. Players of MI went under rigorous training session on Friday but surprisingly Ricky Ponting was seen enjoying the atmosphere and energy of his young teammates from outside.
Ponting, who took retirement from International Cricket in2012, was busy chatting with mentor Anil Kumble and chief coach John Wright about the strategy. He was bought at the base price of $ 400,000 during the IPL player auction in February. MI will play their opening match against Royal Challengers in Bangalore on April 4. MI’s first home game is scheduled for April 9 against Delhi Daredevils.
According to the reports in Indian Express, Mumbai Indians spoke person was quoted saying, “Players are coming in small groups as most of them are already having some prior commitment but before the first game everyone will be here and Dwayne Smith will be joining the side tonight.”
Nita Ambani was in all praise for the newly appointed captain of her team and she was quoted by Times of India saying, “Ricky had been the Captain of World-cup winning team of Australia and he can be the real asset to Mumbai Indians. It was Anil Kumble who coined the name of Ricky for the captaincy and Sachin gave him the nod. With John Wright and Jhonty Rhodes as the chief coach and fielding coach, nucleus of the team looks very strong and I wish our players will execute a brilliant display of cricketing skills in this edition of IPL.”
She was overwhelmed to see Sachin back in blues and was quoted saying, “It would be great to see Sachin in blue again but this time for Mumbai Indians. He has been the strength of pillar for our side as he not only made us win matches but his guidance meant a lot to budding cricketers. We made it to the semi-finals in the last two editions but wasn’t good enough to make it to the finals but this time we will surely turn the tables," she said.
Meanwhile the owner of Mumbai Indians, Nita Ambani has cleared the air on the decision on leaving Sri Lankan players out of Chennai matches and was quoted by The Hindu saying, “Till now, we haven’t received any letters or email from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). But at the end of the day, we will stick to the decision that BCCI will come up with in the next few days.”
Nita also revealed that she was reluctant about being a team owner in the beginning. "I didn’t knew the tricks and trades of the cricket in the beginning but faith that my Husband showed in me was an encouragement for me and I am glad that I have come so far," she said.
As per the recent reports of Deccan Chronicle, Mumbai Indians spokesperson has confirmed the news of new investors and he was quoted saying that “Overall, the franchise is set for a 10 per cent increase in revenue from sponsorship from last year's Rs. 70 crore. We have ended our contract with MasterCard and Hero Moto Corp. Now, we have roped in Bajaj Allianz, Air India and Videocon HD as our new partners. The total is giving us the 10 percent rise in money that we get from investors. Videocon d2H as the team sponsor for one year in a deal estimated to be worth Rs. 30 crore for featuring it's logo on the chest of the team jersey. Bajaj Allianz sponsorship is valued around Rs. 10 crore per year and it is for the back of shirt. Air India which is an associated sponsor will be featuring on the back of helmets of its players.”
