Ponting to lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 6

Mumbai Indians have decided to appoint former Australia captain Ricky Ponting as their captain for the sixth edition of IPL. This comes as a shock as rumours were rife that Sachin would reacquire the baton of captaincy.

Ponting, who recently retired from international cricket, was bought at the base price of $400,000, earlier this month. The new Mumbai think-tank comprising of Anil Kumble and coach John Wright has taken a gamble on Ponting to lead the side.

Ponting’s captaincy record in T20s is nowhere close to being as good as his Test record. As captain in T20s, Ponting has won only 7 out of 17 matches, giving him a winning percentage of 41.17.

Mumbai Indians’ mentor Anil Kumble said about the decision: “Ricky has a lot of experience to lead a competitive and a high-profile side like Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Sachin readily agreed to my suggestion that Mumbai Indians is best served when he leads the batting unburdened by the rigours of captaincy. It was our idea (Sachin and mine) to bring in Ricky as the captain of the Mumbai Indians.”

Team owner Nita Ambani echoed those beliefs, saying: “Today we have world’s two biggest cricketing greats in Sachin and Ricky, and I am sure the duo will be an inspiration for the youngsters in the team. Sachin will always be an integral and important part of Mumbai Indians’ leadership. Ricky will bring in fresh perspective in the team leadership and will have the support of the best cricketing minds like Sachin, Anil and John Wright.”