New Delhi, March 17 The IPL 2024 turned out to be a torrid time for Mumbai Indians (MI) as they finished at the bottom of the points table and saw their captain Hardik Pandya being booed by crowds for the initial stage of the tournament.
Now with days ahead of IPL 2025 starting, Pandya said the franchise analysed their mistakes from last year and made sure to correct it when they were building the squad for the upcoming season.
"Having played in the IPL for almost 11 years now, each season brings new energy and fresh positivity. The 2024 season was undoubtedly challenging for us as a group, but it also provided invaluable lessons. We analyzed those learnings and applied them while building our team for 2025.”
“This time, we have assembled an experienced squad—players who have played a lot of cricket at the highest level. That in itself is exciting. The key now is to come together as a unit and execute our plans efficiently. If we do that, we will have some very good days ahead," said Pandya to JioHotstar.
From the auction ahead of IPL 2025, MI brought in experienced overseas campaigners like Trent Boult, Will Jacks, Ryan Rickleton, Mitchell Santner, and Reece Topley, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman joined in as replacement for injured AM Ghazanfar.
Indian players like Deepak Chahar, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa were too picked by the franchise. They also got in little-known players like Bevon Jacobs, Vignesh Puthur and Venkata Satyanarayana Raju.
"The players we picked—especially the experienced ones—were always part of our plan. We had a clear idea of what we were looking for. This year, our primary objective was to build a strong bowling attack, considering that Wankhede is a challenging venue.”
“Playing in the IPL in Mumbai, particularly at Wankhede, can be intimidating due to the high-scoring nature of the pitch. We wanted bowlers with experience, pace, and the ability to generate swing and bounce.”
“I believe we have put together a well-balanced team, one that meets all our requirements from top to bottom. Now it’s about turning up and delivering on the field," added Pandya, who is coming off becoming a 2025 Champions Trophy winner with the Indian team.
MI will start their IPL 2025 campaign in Chennai against fellow five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23, before traveling to Ahmedabad to play against Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 29.
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