IPL 2020: 4 current Mumbai Indians players who were part of the first season of the tournament

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Mumbai Indians have won the IPL 4 times
Mumbai Indians have won the IPL 4 times

Whenever a new year starts, the excitement for a new season of the IPL starts as well. The IPL Auction which happened a few days ago increases the excitement even more. The year 2020 suggests that it is a year for T20 cricket. The shortest format of the game will be the most seen format this year.

Also see – BBL Most Wickets

Talking about the shortest format, the IPL was a T20 revolution started in 2008. At that time nobody had no idea as to what is in store. The players, coaches, experts and cricket fans were just looking at it as something new. It has been 13 years since the start of the IPL and it has just got bigger and better every season. Newer players want to enter the IPL and make a mark in the biggest T20 league. Even the players who played in the first season are still around and want to do something special for their franchise. So, on that note, let’s have a look at four such players who played the 2008 season and now are a part of the MI team for this season.


4. Saurabh Tiwary

Saurabh Tiwary
Saurabh Tiwary

Saurabh Tiwary has had a stop-start career in IPL. In 2008 and 2009, he was part of the Mumbai Indians squad but didn’t get enough opportunities. In 2010, when the Mumbai Indians reached the final, he burst on the scene with Ambati Rayudu. He scored over 400 runs in that season which helped him make the India side as well.

He wasn’t retained for the fresh auctions and as a result, he moved to RCB where he didn’t perform to his potential. He was picked by the RPS and DC but couldn’t do anything special. He even went back to the Mumbai Indians in 2017 but got to play only one game. The 30-year-old has gone back to his first team for this year’s IPL. Looking at the current MI set up, it seems he won’t get many chances but he would like to perform in whatever opportunities he gets.

3. Dhawal Kulkarni

<a href='https://www.sportskeeda.com/player/dhawal-kulkarni' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Dhawal Kulkarni</a>
Dhawal Kulkarni

The Mumbai fast bowler started his IPL career in his home team Mumbai Indians. He had a fairly good IPL as he picked up 11 wickets in ten games. He too played for a couple of other teams like the Gujarat Lions and Rajasthan Royals.

He was with the RR team till the last year but they traded him to the Mumbai Indians. He will be happy to be back with the team he debuted. He is a pretty underrated bowler as he has picked up 86 wickets at an economy rate of just above 8. He knows the pitch at Wankhede better than most of the other bowlers. With so many overseas quicks in the squad, it might be difficult for him to get a place in the XI but he could be a good back-up for Jasprit Bumrah. The 31-year-old fast bowler still has a lot of cricket left in him and he would like to perform for his home team.

2. Lasith Malinga

<a href='https://www.sportskeeda.com/player/sl-malinga' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Lasith Malinga</a>
Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga was part of the Mumbai Indians squad in 2008 but he had a knee injury before the IPL and hence didn't take part in that season. He made his IPL debut in 2009 against the Chennai Super Kings in South Africa. The 36-year-old fast bowler is an IPL legend as he has picked up 170 wickets in 122 games at an average of 19.79 and an economy rate of 7.14. He is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the IPL. Over the years, he has been a match-winner for the Mumbai side. In the last year's final, he had given away more than 40 runs in his first three overs but still defended 9 off the last over.

Whenever a Mumbai Indians captain was in doubt, he used to hand over the ball to Lasith Malinga and now the baton has been passed to Jasprit Bumrah, who has been helped a lot by Malinga. He has been a T20 superstar and let's hope that he continues to perform well in the upcoming IPL season.

1. Rohit Sharma

<a href='https://www.sportskeeda.com/player/rohit-sharma' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Rohit Sharma</a>
Rohit Sharma

After a successful T20 World Cup in 2007, Rohit Sharma was picked in the IPL but not by the Mumbai Indians. He was part of the Deccan Chargers team from 2008 to 2010. He even won the IPL trophy in 2009 with the Deccan Chargers. In 2011, there was a fresh auction when Mumbai Indians picked up the Mumbai boy – Rohit Sharma. In 2013, when Ricky Ponting who was the captain of the MI team dropped himself, Rohit Sharma was appointed as the new captain. His captaincy changed fortunes for their team as they went on to win the IPL trophy that year.

Since then, every alternate year, the trophy has been won by them under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Over the years, he has been a phenomenal performer for the Mumbai Indians. Looking forward to this year’s IPL, Rohit Sharma would like to lead from the front because their team doesn’t have a great record in an even year. Even Rohit Sharma has had a few quiet seasons in the IPL and would like to rectify that in the upcoming season.

Also read: IPL 2020: 5 CSK players who featured in the first edition in 2008

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Edited by rehaan díaz