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From Pondulkar, to the Pandya bros, to Booming down oppositions, to unleashing Jo with the mo’. 2013-17 was a period of sheer dominance on the field. And it all started in the auction rooms. Here’s a brief look at how those days went ..

February 3, 2013 | Chennai: The Punter embraces Mumbai

First things first: Just the small thing of us winning our maiden title! (subtle brag). Also, fulfilling the wishes of a zillion cricket fans around the world, Pondulkar became a reality. Ricky Ponting, the certified legend, was in our camp as skipper.

Glenn Maxwell, the swashbuckling Australian all-rounder, was the biggest buy of the auction! The then 24-year-old was in serious demand, so much so that he ended up becoming a millionaire by the end of the evening, as we battled off an equally keen Sunrisers Hyderabad.

February 12 and 13, 2014 | Bengaluru: And the rebuilding starts!

The post-Tendulkar era had officially begun. Michael Hussey - the reigning orange cap holder - was bought to bring in the experience in the top order. And he was our team’s most expensive buy in 2014. Also, fresh from scoring the then-fastest ODI century in history, Corey Anderson obviously attracted massive interest at the auction. And just as obviously, Hyderabad and Delhi were not letting go of him easily. But at 4.5cr, he was bagged, and true to his style, his 95 off 44 on that magical night at the Wankhede against the Rajasthan Royals, helped us achieve one of our biggest cricketing highs. 

Not to forget, we welcomed back Jasprit Bumrah, this time through an auction. With 145 wickets, four IPL titles and countless memories, it has been an incredible ride on the ‘Boom Boom Express’. It was also the first sign of the Guru-Shishya relationship, with our current Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan, coming home for a second stint.

February 16, 2015 | Bengaluru: Welcoming Kung-fu Pandya

No better place to start off the 2015 mini-auction success than with Hardik Pandya. 22 years of age, flashy, inexperienced, but promising. He was snapped up by us for his base price of INR 10 lakhs. And, well, we all know how it went! An array of fours, sixes, catches, wickets and yes, trophies! His onslaught in Chennai that year still brings out goosebumps. Hardik became a vital cog in Rohit Sharma’s army over the next many years.

The first purchase in the mini-auction was in the form of Aaron Finch, and it was a proper bidding war. We tussled the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils, and after a lot of paddle-raising and brainstorming, we got Finchy to don our famous Blue and Gold for INR 3.20 crores. MI further welcomed a fiery, tall and muscular Kiwi pacer in Mitchell McClenaghan for his base price of INR 30 lakhs, kicking off another long association of smashing stumps and spreading joy at the Wankhede.

February 6, 2016 | Bengaluru: Bhai-bhai, Pandya bros unite

#OneFamily gets a blood relation! Another Baroda all-rounder with the ability to tonk the ball a country mile caught MI’s attention in 2016. Krunal Pandya, Hardik’s brother, fetched INR 2 crores in the auction as he made his way to the City of Dreams. A lot may have changed over the next six years, but an MI middle-order that had the two Pandyas and Pollard walking out to bat at numbers five, six and seven was constant.

2016 also marked the IPL debut of a certain Jos Buttler. Oh, he was already a star! It was here that he started opening for the first time, smashing the bowling around, announcing his true arrival on the big stage, and his towel-dropping celebratory dance in front of the TV screen on watching MI clinch the title in 2017 is still the best thing you’re likely to see online.

February 20, 2017 | Bengaluru: ‘Super Mitch’ is back

Mitchell Jo, now with a mo’, was back with us. His searing pace and experience in the final over of the 2017 final did the trick in a heart-stopping game.

A young Nicholas Pooran, unheard of in the world of senior cricket, tasted his first flavour of the IPL in our camp in 2017. In a case of so-close-yet-not-quite-there, Ben Stokes was an inch away from becoming a Mumbaikar. At 14.50cr INR, the then-future star of two World Cup wins for England, got away into the Rising Pune SuperGiant’s territory. We were in the war right from the start, raising the first paddle, and fighting it out diligently until the 14.25cr bid.