5 players you didn't know were once a part of Mumbai Indians

It has always been a magnificent sight witnessing thousands of passionate Mumbaikars thronging the iconic Wankhede Stadium and painting the stands blue. The Men in Blue became the first ever IPL side to win three titles when they lifted the crown at Hyderabad last season.

Their skipper Rohit Sharma not just became the most successful skipper but also the most successful player in the history of the cash-rich league, with four titles.

From Sachin Tendulkar to Sanath Jayasuriya, many international stars have donned the Mumbai Indians jersey in the first decade of the IPL. But not all of them have had a memorable stint.

Let us now look at five international stars who were once part of the three-time IPL winners.

---

#1 Alex Hales

Hales is an experienced T20 campaigner having played for several Big Bash teams in his career. He has represented the Three Lions in 11 Tests, 59 ODIs and 52 T20I.

The English batsman was signed by the Mumbai Indians as a replacement for the injured Kiwi all-rounder Corey Anderson in the 2015 IPL for just one league game and the knockout stages.

Though he did not get a chance to don the Mumbai jersey, he won the title with them under skipper, Rohit Sharma. It was a surprising call as well as a forgettable call for Hales, but he was once again roped in as a replacement this season by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, following David Warner's ban.

#2 Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera

Perera is one of the very few players to have played for five or more franchises in the IPL. His first ever IPL stint was with the Chennai Super Kings in 2010 where he played just one season and was a part of the title-winning squad. In the entire season, he played a solitary game for Chennai in which he failed to score any runs.

He then moved to the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011, and after their termination from the IPL, he moved to the Mumbai Indians. Perera was bought by the Mumbai Indians for $650,000 at the 2012 IPL auctions.

He donned the Blue jersey in just two matches that season, scoring just four runs. Eventually, he was released by Mumbai prior to the 2013 auctions due to his poor outing in season five.

#3 Jacob Oram

Jacob Oram

The former Kiwi all-rounder represented the Blackcaps for a decade, playing 33 Tests, 16 ODIs and 36 T20I. Oram began his IPL stint with the Chennai Super Kings in 2008, the franchise he represented for the first two editions.

Oram had a disastrous stint after moving to the Rajasthan Royals in the fourth edition, the franchise he represented for two seasons.

Oram was bought by the Mumbai Indians at the 2013 auctions for $ 50,000. The former all-rounder played a solitary game for Mumbai in 2013 in which he bowled four overs and failed to score any runs.

He won the title with Mumbai in that edition of the IPL. Unfortunately, the sixth season was his last ever IPL stint.

#4 Herschelle Gibbs

Herschelle Gibbs

The man who scored six sixes against the Dutch in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in West Indies needs no introduction. Gibbs, who played for several T20 franchises in England, Australia and South Africa, represented the Proteas in 90 Tests, 248 ODIs and 23 T20I.

Gibbs started his IPL career with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, in the inaugural season in 2008.

He represented Gilchrist's men in the first three editions before moving to the Mumbai Indians in 2012. He was bought by Mumbai for $50,000 at the 2012 auctions. Gibbs had a forgettable stint with the Mumbai outfit scoring 81 runs in three matches he played for them. Unfortunately, the fifth edition was his last ever IPL stint.

#5 Luke Ronchi

Luke Ronchi

Ronchi represented two countries in International cricket, Australia (2008) and New Zealand (2013-2017). He is only the second player in the history to have played for two different ICC Member nations after Kepler Wessels, who played for Australia and South Africa.

Ronchi, who has played for various T20 franchises in his career across the world, has 4 Tests, 85 ODIs and 32 T20I caps to his name.

The wicket-keeper batsman announced his retirement from international cricket after the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

He was bought by the Mumbai Indians at the inaugural IPL auctions in 2008.

Ronchi represented Mumbai in five matches across the two seasons (2008, 2009) and managed to score just 34 runs. The 2009 IPL was the last ever stint for Ronchi, who went unsold at this year's auctions with a base price of INR 75 lakh.