Star wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan reached Mumbai Indians’ team hotel on Wednesday, March 13 ahead of the start of the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 25-year-old has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, and was recently axed by the BCCI from the central contracts list. Kishan had pulled out of the Test team last December in South Africa, citing personal reasons. The player was then overlooked for selection by the management for the Afghanistan T20Is and the England Test series.
On Kishan’s absence, India head coach Rahul Dravid said that the player is yet to make himself available for selection, adding that he will have to play domestic games first in order to fulfil the criteria for selection.
However, Kishan didn’t turn up for Jharkhand during their Ranji Trophy matches, and was instead seen training with Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya in Baroda.
His contract was eventually terminated by the BCCI last month.
With the IPL commencing on March 22, Kishan has joined MI’s camp. Taking to social media, the franchise welcomed Kishan with a unique and hilarious video.
“Dekh liya, team hotel mein aate hi bottle flip karneka natija,” MI captioned the video.
Dekh liya, team hotel mein aate hi bottle flip karneka natija#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @ishankishan51 pic.twitter.com/h5vEg7YjaH
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 13, 2024
Meanwhile, MI will play their opening match of the season on March 24 against Gujarat Titans.
The fixture will see new MI captain Hardik Pandya coming up against his former side for the first time since leaving the franchise to join the five-time champions after a trade deal.
Hardik had joined GT in 2022 and led them to the IPL title in their first season in the tournament.
However, he will be back with MI this season, having replaced Rohit Sharma as captain.
MI IPL 2024 SQUAD COMPOSITION
Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan, Vishnu Vinod.
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Tim David (AUS), Suryakumar Yadav, N. Tilak Varma, Dewald Brevis (SA).
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (C), Romario Shepherd (WI), Nehal Wadhera, Shams Mulani, Gerald Coetzee (SA), Mohammad Nabi (AFG), Shivalik Sharma, Naman Dhir.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Behrendorff (AUS), Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Arjun Tendulkar, Piyush Chawla, Dilshan Madushanka (SL), Nuwan Thushara (SL), Anshul Kamboj, Shreyas Gopal.
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