The nerves, the pressure, the excitement and the MI mentality are growing by the hour as we countdown to the start of our IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans on Sunday (March 24) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

It is the dawn of a new era for both teams - Mumbai and Gujarat - but a fresh and opportunistic adventure awaits the game's brightest talents, who will take the field on Sunday. One such player is Tilak Varma, a cricketer growing from strength to strength. From a rookie star to his ascension into the senior India setup to leading Hyderabad to Ranji Trophy success in the Plate division earlier this year, there is no denying how the 21-year-old will be a crucial player for Mumbai Indians in our Mission 2024.

The young star addressed the media before our first game of the season. Read along….

Between the last season and the upcoming campaign, TV broadened his horizons as a capped player for India and is thus set to have some more responsibility to win games. He discusses whether he is ready for the challenge.

“Yes, obviously, I am looking forward to it. Last year was a good season, but now, as a senior player and having played for India, I have a slightly bigger responsibility to play mature innings. As I have said previously, I always want to finish games, and I have good knowledge and experience of it when playing for India, so I am looking forward to using it now.”

TV credited his competitive opportunities with the senior Indian team to slightly tweak his game approach, especially in chases.

“Last season, I played a few games with an aggressive approach. I would have good starts but would get out early. But in the next few games, I would end with scores of 30s and 40s. I was close to finishing the games. So those things (when playing for India) would be a bit different as my strike rate would be initially low, but I would pick it up later as games progressed. I hope to use this learning in my batting for IPL 2024.”

When asked if MI were aiming for the title this year, can you guess the answer Tilak gave? “ALWAYS!”

Jasprit Bumrah will spearhead the Blue and Gold bowling attack this year, having missed the 2023 edition with an injury. Is he still the talismanic player who can make a difference in matches? Is he someone young bowlers in the team can look up to? TV had a confident answer in store.

“YES. You see, he (Bumrah) is the World's No. 1 bowler and a very experienced bowler. Especially if you look at T20 cricket, he's got a lot of experience. Not only in T20 cricket but in every format, he is the biggest bowler for India and in world cricket, giving confidence to youngsters and the team. He's also calm under pressure, which helps the team and the youngsters like me or the bowlers and batters; you can just tell he's experienced at everything, so it helps a lot.”

Lastly, the young India star was quizzed about the most significant obstacle between Mumbai Indians and trophy #6. Tilak, on his part, had a mature reply to the question.

“The (title) challenge will be understood based on current form, depending on which team plays well. We can't say which team will be our biggest challenge before the tournament starts. During the tournament, we'll learn which team is more competitive for us. This is something we'll learn in the future.”