What is the secret of the Mumbai Indians’ success in the Indian Premier League (IPL)? They are the most successful team with five titles. Money? Yes. Resources? That too. The best players? Often. What else? Well, their ability to unearth uncapped Indian talent.
Akash Madhwal was sensational in the Eliminator game against Lucknow Super Giants. Figures of 3.3-0-5-5 are almost unheard of in this format of the game. And who is Madhwal? A completely unknown guy from Uttarakhand. But there he is now, in the national headlines for his sensational performance.
What we see in Madhwal’s performance is the outcome of a process. Mumbai Indians have this legacy or tradition of producing players. Very few had heard of Jasprit Bumrah before he started representing the franchise. Even fewer were aware of Hardik and Krunal Pandya before they played for this team. Nitish Rana was a completely unknown entity when he joined them. They are all more than well-known players now. Credit has to go to the Mumbai Indians management for unearthing such domestic talent over the years.
Taking more names will serve no purpose, but we must also mention Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera. They were also nonentities when it came to national prominence until they started delivering the goods for Mumbai Indians. This franchise helped them chart their course in unknown territory and made them stars.
There are a few reasons why this keeps happening. How lesser-known players go on to play for India after spending time with the Mumbai Indians. The first is talent scouting. All franchises send their men to domestic white-ball competitions to look for new prospects. People employed by Mumbai Indians, and John Wright was one of them for a few years, probably do this better than others. They spot talent which others do not and make jewels out of them.
This is not easy. It requires rare observation skills, the ability to judge talent, assess potential and other pros and cons. This demands extreme powers of examination. And that is what the Mumbai franchise has been able to do, over a long period of time. Bumrah and Hardik became India superstars only after they played for them. Even Ishan Kishan established himself as India material after spending a few years with them. This consistency is amazing and it continues!
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Another reason must be the team environment they create. There is a Sachin Tendulkar in the dugout with newcomers like Wadhera, Madhwal and Varma. Credit goes to the coaches and other members of the support staff for making them feel comfortable and making things conducive for learning. These rookies do not get flustered in the company of Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, or Mahela Jayawardene. They flourish in that group. That is the highlight, not only the performance.
To see that this kind of a tradition is still alive has been one of the high points of IPL 2023. Wadhera or Madhwal or Varma may or may not play for India, or become an international star like Bumrah. But they have made their mark from completely unknown quarters. Few teams would have given them this opportunity. How many other IPL teams have unearthed so much domestic talent?
Like it or not, Indian cricket is indebted to Mumbai Indians for this. This is not said to advocate for them, but just to acknowledge what has happened over the years, and keeps happening. This year, when fresh Indian talent was hard to come by, they brought through Madhwal. And what they have delivered in the past requires no elaboration. Their scouting team and player-management system should be lauded for the efforts they have made for so many years.
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