You don’t judge an auction at half time, more so when you’re dealing with the complexities of a mega auction. We might have had just the four buys on day one, having to back out of a lot of bidding wars owing to purse restrictions, but our coaches were happy with the way our squad is shaping up. The biggest headline was the return of Trent Boult, a testified MI champion, who now will finally get a chance to bowl at the Wankhede in the Blue and Gold jersey, after spending two years with us in the Covid bubble and playing in the UAE.

“The main thing was to find a partner for Bumrah, and Boulty fitted the bill,” said Head Coach, Mahela Jayawardene in a chat with Mumbai Indians at the end of the first day at the Auction. “He knows our system. He knows how to go about it. He takes 18-20 wickets in an IPL season and that is what we wanted. To get him back to our setup was fantastic,” he added.

Our Batting Coach, Kieron Pollard, was equally excited at having the Kiwi left-arm quick come back home. “He brings all the experience. We have won championships with him in the team. He had been our nemesis last year. He understands the MI franchise. He has played for our teams over the world, at MI Emirates, now in South Africa. He has that infectious smile, and the other guys are looking forward to having him in the dressing room,” he said.

“The batters in the nets are going to be in for a treat. It’s going to get their games better. The nets are going to have a lot of banter, fun and jovialness.”

That’s right. We, the Paltan, are equally excited. Bring on the IPL already, please!