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There are classics. Then there are timeless classics. And then, there is India vs England in Test cricket. 92 years on from their first-ever matchup in red-ball cricket, the latest edition of this celebrated rivalry promises to give fans a complete experience of gripping player battles, a burst of talent and strategic wars.

This rivalry has a touch of familiarity with Mumbai Indians, with a few notable English players having worn the iconic Blue and Gold in the past. As we build up to the upcoming IND vs ENG Tests, we revisit the archives and highlight these players.

1. Graham Napier

Years at MI: 2009, 2010

Games played: 1

Runs: 15

Highest score: 15

Wickets: 1

Best figures: 1/27 

One of the few non-international cricketers to have a lasting legacy in the domestic circuit, Graham Napier was the first English cricketer to sign with Mumbai Indians although his entry into the team was carried outside of the auction route. A gritty ​​58-ball 152 not out for Essex in their 2008 Twenty20 Cup (now known as Vitality T20 Blast) game against Sussex, which included a then-record 16 sixes, was the impressive asset that earned him a contract with MI for the 2009 season.

The all-rounder played just once in the Blue and Gold, scoring 15 runs and claiming 1/27 against Kolkata Knight Riders. After a call-up to the England squad for the 2009 T20 World Cup didn’t materialise into a senior game and a squad player for MI in the 2010 campaign, Napier continued his cult run in county cricket. This included a spectacular four wickets in four balls en route to 7/32 during a Yorkshire Bank 40 match against Surrey in 2013. Graham Napier retired from all forms of cricket in 2016.

2. Alex Hales 

Price bought: INR 1 crore (Replacement for Corey Anderson)

Years at MI: 2015

Games played: 0

With Corey Anderson suffering a fractured finger and failing to recuperate in time, MI signed English opener Alex Hales on a short term deal that spanned the final league game and the playoffs of the 2015 IPL season. Before joining the Blue and Gold, Hales had already made a mark for himself at the 2014 T20 World Cup where he became the first English player to hit a hundred in T20I cricket (116 not out vs Sri Lanka).

Although the opportunity for game time never came his way, Alex Hales would celebrate the short stay with an IPL winners medal as Mumbai Indians lifted their second title with a 41-run triumph over Chennai Super Kings.

3. Jos Buttler

Price bought: INR 3.8 crore (2016 Auction)

Years at MI: 2016, 2017

Games played: 24

Runs: 527

Highest score: 77 vs Punjab Kings (2017)

Batting Average: 25.09

Strike Rate: 145.98

Fifties: 1

Hundreds: 0

Revered for his ability to dish carnage upon opposition bowlers, Jos Buttler got his entry into the extravagant world of IPL cricket with Mumbai Indians. With a record of 2941 runs in international cricket under his belt, including four hundreds in ODI cricket, Buttler joined the Fa-MI-ly in 2016 and would play a huge role en route MI’s charge to win the IPL title in 2017.

The cameo came in Match 22 against Punjab Kings, where the English wicketkeeper-batter smacked a 37-ball 77 to help the Blue and Gold chase 155 in 15.3 overs. He was rewarded with the Player of the Match Award for the innings. It was here that he moved up the order and started opening the batting, a move that’s transformed his cricket career!

Buttler would move on to play for Rajasthan Royals, and on the international front, he led the team to win the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022.

4. Tymal Mills

Price bought: INR 1.5 crore (2022 Auction)

Years at MI: 2022

Games played: 5

Wickets: 6

Best figures: 3/35 vs Rajasthan Royals (2022)

In a like-for-like move, Mumbai Indians brought a left-arm T20 specialist in Tymal Mills to replace the departing Trent Boult. With 176 T20 wickets in 156 games across all T20 games, Mills was signed to link-up with Jasprit ‘BOOM BOOM’ Bumrah and form a lethal partnership in the wicket-taking department.

He would don the Blue and Gold five times and bag six wickets. His first victim would be Delhi Capitals’ star Rishabh Pant in front of the MI Paltan at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

5. Jofra Archer 

Price bought: INR 8 crore (2022 Auction)

Years at MI: 2023

Games played: 5

Wickets: 2

Best figures: 1/35 vs Rajasthan Royals (2023)

One of the most lethal bowlers of his generation, Jofra Archer was one of the players to go under the hammer at the IPL Auction 2022. The Barbados-born English speedster, who was already a household name in the tournament given his three-season association with Rajasthan Royals, would make his official debut in the prestigious Blue and Gold in IPL 2023, as he spent the previous year recuperating from injuries.

While his stay was cut short with his past injury recurring amidst his five-game appearance at IPL 2023, Archer registered two wickets at an economy of 9.50.

6. Chris Jordan 

Price bought: INR 2 crore (Replacement for Jofra Archer)

Years at MI: 2023

Games played: 5

Wickets: 3

Best figures: 1/7 vs Lucknow Super Giants (2023)

Chris Jordan is a bowler globally renowned for his lethal yorkers and tenacity to win games in the death overs for his teams. And considering this trait and the fact he was a T20 World Cup winner in 2022, Jordan was signed on to replace a fellow Barbados-born Englishman in Jofra Archer.

The English pacer would don the Mumbai Indians jersey five times in the IPL 2023 season, and claim three wickets at an economy of 10.77.