Mumbai: With exactly a week to kick off of the second season Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur shared a winning mantra with her team that ‘Don’t take pressure’ instead ‘keep things simple’, and ‘enjoy yourself and each other’s success’. Mumbai Indians are winners of the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
On Friday, speaking at the pre-season press conference, Harmanpreet said, “We just want to do what we did last year, keep things simple and enjoy our cricket. We hope to give all the players clear roles so that they can go out there and perform. I know a lot of eyeballs will be on us this time since we won last year, but last year as well, we didn’t put any pressure on ourselves.”
“We’ll try and create a similar atmosphere, enjoy each other’s success and back each other. That’s the best thing about our coaches. Their support plays a huge part,” she added.
MI head coach Charlotte Edwards, mentor Jhulan Goswami, and bowling coach have joined hands to form an equally formidable coaching environment.
“We picked the team 12 months ago, and what a wonderful experience it was for the group of players and support staff. To lift that trophy as Harman did on that night at the Brabourne Stadium, will be up there as one of the highlights of my career. More importantly, the people we did it with, with all the youngsters. It was an incredible time,” said Charlotte.
“To work with Jhulan. She got me out many times, and she reminds me a lot about that too. To get to work with her finally and to be in the same team was great,” he added.
“Charlotte and I try to discuss a lot of things. Even when both of us are busy, we try to stay in touch. She has been thoroughly professional, I have learned a lot from her and enjoy every moment with her. Honestly speaking, this is my first assignment as a bowling coach and I have learned a lot on and off the field from her,” Goswami added about working in tandem with Edwards.
“I have been blown away by the scouting system at MI. Coming into this role, I didn’t know much about it. All I knew was that MI was really good at it. To see the scouts in action just before the auction was a testament to the hard work that has been done. We have signed four players because of that. Hopefully, we can unearth the next future star, which is very exciting,” she added.
Yastika, and Issy Wong, the first person to take a hat-trick in the WPL, were key in MI's sprint to the title last year.
Yastika Bhatia, the Emerging Player of the Year from 2023, spoke about the impact Kiran More had on her career and how training with him has made her a better player.
“When I met Kiran (More) sir in 2021, it was the turning point of my career. I was struggling and was out of the team. I was uncertain how I would get a chance. That’s when I met him and he trained me for 45 days. It changed my outlook towards cricket and life. He is a very positive person,” Yastika recollected.
Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, the finalist of the previous edition of the tournament, will commence the second season of the WPL on February 23. The first leg of the tournament is to be played in Bengaluru, followed by the second leg and the playoffs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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