Dhawal Kulkarni: The feeling to play for MI is the same as my first year
In a trade-off with Rajasthan Royals last year, Mumbai Indians acquired the services of Dhawal Kulkarni. It was homecoming for the local pacer who started his IPL journey from MI in 2008 and was a part of the franchise for six years.
He may have missed the opportunity to play in front of his home crowd at Wankhede but with the IPL happening in UAE, he is glad to be back in the Blue and Gold. The right-arm medium pacer is also returning from an injury layoff which made him miss a significant part of the domestic season.
The 31-year-old has picked a total of 86 wickets at a strike rate of 20.29 in the Indian Premier League. He has picked more than 400 wickets in his first-class and List A career put together.
Kulkarni shared his thoughts on returning to the franchise after a long gap, the One Family bond and culture in the MI dressing room.
Mumbai Indians is my home team
“Now that I have returned, there are mixed feelings because I have been away for so many years from this team, which is my home team. I have played for Mumbai for many years in domestic cricket.”
There is a lot of unity in MI
“One Family culture is a Mumbai Indians tradition. The atmosphere of the team is like a family. It feels good because in a team sport, the most important thing is unity and you get to see that here. This is important to us and it is good for us.”
The feeling to play for MI is the same as my first year
“For the first six seasons, I played for Mumbai Indians. The feeling of playing with the team today is just the same as my first year with them. It feels the same today. There are nerves, there’s a little pressure. I’m trying to enjoy these moments, like the old times. I have the same feeling when I first entered the dressing room.”