It wasn’t the longest association, but in the two years that Trent Boult was with Mumbai Indians, he left behind a massive stamp on everyone: the team, the fans, the record books. Watching him in the Blue and Gold,  swinging the ball around for fun, was something. He’s currently in the UAE with the MI Emirates, in the middle of yet-another tournament which he’s just lit up with his skills.

The team is in the playoffs, and as the business end nears, Boult reminisces his 2020 days with the Mumbai Indians that went from the Covid bubble, to being held in the UAE, to lots of uncertainty, to obviously, the IPL title in a chat with MI Emirates. 

Counting his association with the Mumbai Indians’ IPL-winning side in 2020 as one of his ‘finest cricketing memories’, the 33-year-old left-armer said, “The 2020 IPL campaign with the Mumbai Indians was probably one of my finest cricketing memories. It was Covid and coming to a new environment, was excited to come into a prestigious franchise. To get a chance to play under Rohit Sharma alongside Kieron Pollard, and the coaching staff, and work so hard across the league stage and reaching the knockouts, and push forward to win the trophy was obviously one of the highlights of my career so far.”

“The things I learnt from them (MI team management) are how they like to keep things simple, how much they support the guys to do the job and also the amount of work they put in while preparing and research, which is very important when you go into a new tournament like the ILT20. This is the reason why we are here in the play-offs,” he explained.

Boult also spoke on his association with former Kiwi seamer and MI Emirates head coach Shane Bond, and hailed his cool and calm approach while leading the franchise to the knock-out stages.

“I have known Shane for a long time, and had the experiences with him at the Mumbai Indians, before moving to the MI Emirates. It’s been an enjoyable one as well. He’s a guy who keeps it very clear, he’s nice and calm under any situation which is a key attribute for any coach. He’s been leading the group very well, and hopefully can take it all the way,” he said.

Boult, who has been instrumental in leading the MI Emirates bowling attack with early wickets is happy to be a part of the leadership group, while hailing the bowling group for adapting to the ever-changing conditions in the UAE.

“The best thing about these leagues is players from so many nationalities come together and all have played T20 leagues across the world, which makes it very exciting. I have really enjoyed how (Dwayne) Bravo, (Imran) Tahir and the others share their views and inspire the younger guys in the side,” he said.

Boult also heaped praises on skipper Pollard, rating him as one of the toughest batters he has ever come across, and believes that the kind of experience, the Trinidadian brings, certainly makes him one of the strongest leaders.

“It’s been an exciting bowling attack to be a part of, and obviously from the experience that the captain Kieron Pollard brings, he understands the game pretty well. It’s always good to have such a strong leader.”