Mumbai Indians' environment is really helpful for building a cricketer: Daniel Sams

Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians has a helpful environment for the growth of cricketers. The 29-year-old played 11 matches for the team in the IPL 2022 and bagged 13 wickets at an economy rate of 8.81. He also lauded the coaching and support staff for keeping things simple and relaxed. Mumbai Indians finished at 10th position on the table in the 2022 season.

The Australian admitted that MI’s IPL 2022 campaign was not up to the expected standards. They finished at the bottom of the table with only four wins in 14 matches. He stressed that his conversations with head coach Mahela Jayawardene and bowling coach Shane Bond helped him regain his form. Although the all-rounder feels that the team did not perform as expected, he is excited about the upcoming season.

We haven’t quite performed the way we’ve wanted: Daniel Sams

“I think this whole Mumbai Indians environment is really helpful for building a person, a cricketer. So it’s been awesome, chatting with MJ (Jayawardene) and Bondy (Bond),” Sams was quoted as saying by NDTV. “I found really helpful, those conversations I had with MJ just about what he did when he was struggling and he just talked about keeping it simple being relaxed,” he added.

“Obviously there were some challenges, some good time around, we (MI) haven’t quite performed the way we’ve wanted to but we are excited with what’s to come next year,” said the MI player further. He believed that some of the members in the squad learned a lot as the season progressed. Sams said that it was not the most ideal season for the team. However, he suggested that it was an important season for everyone to become better players.

Sams said that he was proud of himself for the way he regained his form in crunch moments, adding that the mental aspect of the game was a key factor. “We talk about skills and execution and stuff a lot but I think the one thing that has developed for me is the mental skills. I think this tournament has really helped me to build another,” said Sams.