Mumbai Indians (MI) playing XI from their first IPL encounter in 2008: Where are they now?

The Reliance Industries owned Mumbai Indians has been one of the most successful and able franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, and the God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar himself, the team of Mumbai Indians was one star-studded line up in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Over the years, MI has acquired the services of many dazzling players and has been known for its association with many celebrated ones such as Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, Jonty Rhodes, etc. The team established itself as one of the superior sides of the tournament ever since Rohit Sharma took over captaincy as they won the titles for the years 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 under him. MI played their maiden IPL match against RCB on 20th April 2008 and lost it by 5 wickets. While some players who were involved with the Mumbai-based franchise in the inaugural edition of the IPL are just as relevant as they were back then, the others have diminished in stature and have found themselves lost in oblivion. Let’s take a look at where do the players from MI’s playing XI in their very first IPL game stand today: Luke Ronchi Luke Ronchi. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Sachin Tendulkar’s unavailability at the start of the season due to an injury permitted the team management to give Luke Ronchi a chance at the top. However, he never clicked the way he or the team would have wanted him to. He scored just 8 runs in the first match and finished the entire season with negligible 34 runs in 4 matches. He was given another shot in the 2009 edition although he played only a single match and went back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers. With no substantial performance to justify his candidature, Ronchi was released by the franchise. In the subsequent years, no team showed interest in his services and the second edition of the IPL eventually turned out to be his last. Thereafter, he went onto play various short-format leagues, most recently Pakistan Super League (PSL), and managed to secure a spot in the New Zealand national side as well. He has represented Kiwis in 4 Tests, 85 ODIs, and 33 T20Is. Sanath Jayasuriya Sanath Jayasuriya. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images) The Sri Lankan legend has been a recognized face in international cricket for nearly 3 decades. His services were acquired by MI in 2008 and he stayed with the franchise for a period of three years including 2008. Sanath Jayasuriya had a moderate outing with the bat in the first match as he scored 29 runs off 16 deliveries, however, he came out with some blistering knocks in the matches that followed. He took on CSK’s bowling unit bludgeoning 114* off 48 deliveries and amassed 518 runs in 14 matches by the end of the tournament. With age catching him up, the following seasons of IPL proved to be rather cold for him and he finally retired in 2010, when he played 4 matches and scored just 33 runs in the entire season. Jayasuriya brought his international career to an end in 2011 after which he assumed the responsibility of Sri Lanka’s Chief Selector. He resigned from the post in 2013 and later initiated new innings in politics and got appointed as the deputy minister of Local Government and Rural Development in the Sri Lankan government. In 2018, reports informed that Jayasuriya underwent knee surgery after a disastrous injury that led him to a bed-ridden state. Dominic Thornely Dominic Thornely. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images) Dominic Thornely has nothing to state about his IPL existence. In MI’s maiden match, he played merely 5 balls before a dreadful short-pitched delivery from Zaheer Khan bounced the senses out him. He was banged right on the grill of his helmet and eventually walked out being retired hurt. What followed is not a story that could leave anyone even mildly impressed as he played just 6 matches in the entire season and managed to score only 39 runs with the bat and 3 wickets with the ball. Having no international experience and a rather underwhelming performance in the season brought his IPL ambitions to an end and the first season of the marquee event became his last. Thornely, who has a fair bit of experience with 83 first-class matches and 100 List A encounters, has played professional cricket for New South Wales, Surrey, and Hampshire. He has represented Sydney Sixers from 2011-13 in the Big Bash League. Robin Uthappa Robin Uthappa. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) Robin Uthappa had risen to fame by his domestic circuit exploits and he made himself recognized after the 2007 T20 World Cup under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He was occupied by Mumbai Indians for 2008 before being released ahead of the next edition. In the match against RCB, he ended up being their leading run-scorer as he scored 48 off 38 in the match. Uthappa had a fairly decent season as he accumulated 320 runs in 14 matches at an average of 35.55. He has been a regular feature in the IPL ever since the inaugural season and played for RCB (2009-10) and now-defunct Pune Warriors India (2011-13) before becoming KKR’s mainstay (2014-2019). However, his 6-year long association with KKR has come to an end as Rajasthan Royals has acquired him in the recent auction. Though the last Uthappa featured for India in an international encounter was long back in an ODI against Zimbabwe in 2015, he has continuously played the IPL over the years and is all set to feature in the coming edition as well. Pinal Shah Pinal Shah. (Photo Source: MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images) The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman was acquired by Mumbai Indians in 2008 due to his decent first-class record with Baroda. He played a watchful knock of 19 runs in 23 balls and held one end alongside Robin Uthappa in the first match to help MI reach a respectable total. However, his overall performance wasn’t great as he managed to score just 34 runs in the 5 matches he played in the 2008 edition. Another disappointing season in 2009 (53 runs in 9 matches) led MI to release him that year. He failed to get any bids for 2010, however, he managed to get a break with RR in the 2011. Shah played only 2 matches and scored a paltry 5 runs in the season to bring down curtains on an unfruitful IPL career lasting 3 seasons. He has been quite consistent for Baroda, his first-class team, and continues to play domestic cricket. Abhishek Nayar Abhishek Nayar. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images) Abhishek Nayar was declared to be a find in IPL 2008. In the first match, he scored a brisk 20 runs from 14 balls before being dismissed in the 18th over. In the entire season, Nayar played 14 matches and managed 206 runs at 25.75. After staying with MI for three consecutive seasons, he was released ahead of the 2011 season. And that is when Kings XI Punjab roped him in for two consecutive editions. Nayar represented Pune Warriors India in 2013 and subsequently played for Rajasthan Royals for 2014 and 2015. Through his lukewarm performances in the IPL and domestic circuit, he earned a call up for the national ODI team of India for the tour of West Indies in 2009, but after a lackluster run of 3 matches, he found himself out of favor and failed to get a seat in the team ever again. Currently, he plays domestic cricket for Pudducherry. Shaun Pollock Shaun Pollock. (Photo by Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images/Getty Images) The legendary South African all-rounder, Shaun Pollock was one of the most major buys for MI in the first season. With plenty of experience at the international level, he was expected to be a vital cog for the team and he did turn into it. In the first match, Pollock slammed a quickfire 28 off just 12 to stretch MI’s total past 160. With the ball, he went wicket-less, however, he was miserly as he gave away only 17 runs in his quota of 4. Pollock went onto captain the side for a brief duration in 2008 due to the suspension of Harbhajan Singh. He scored 147 runs with the bat and scalped 11 wickets in the 13 matches he played and that was to be it for him in the IPL. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2008 and decided to discontinue his run at IPL as well. Apart from his commentary stints with the SuperSports network, Pollock has coached Mumbai Indians during the team’s titular triumph in the Champions League T20 in 2011. Harbhajan Singh Harbhajan Singh. (Photo Source: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images) In the absence of the designated skipper Sachin Tendulkar, the duty of captaincy was taken up by Harbhajan Singh. In the first match, Bhajji proved to be expensive as he gave away 36 runs in 4 overs, however, he bagged the wickets of Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. His IPL journey took a horrible turn after he indulged in the infamous slap gate controversy with S Sreesanth and he was subsequently handed a 3-match suspension for his actions. His run was shortened in the first season and he played only 3 matches. However, he has been quite a performer thereafter and has been participating in the IPL ever since its inception. In 160 IPL matches, Habhajan has bagged 150 wickets. He was associated with MI until 2017 before being released by them and being picked by CSK. He has been a part of the Yellow Army for 2 years and will be seen in action this year in the UAE. Musavir Khote Musavir Khote. (Photo Source: Twitter) A medium-pacer, Musavir Khote had been in a bit of form in the T20 domestic circuit for Mumbai before earning a spot inside the Mumbai Indians camp. In the first match, he did not get a chance to either bat or bowl. He played just 4 matches in the entire season and scored 24 runs with the bat whereas got only 2 wickets with the ball. With no substantial performances at any stage to impress anyone, his IPL career came to an end in 2008 itself. He played occasionally in domestic cricket till 2011 before retiring from all forms of cricket at the age 30. Musavir played 3 first-class, 10 List-A and 11 T20s in his career. Ashish Nehra Ashish Nehra. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Ashish Nehra’s services were acquired by Mumbai Indians in 2008. In the first match, he proved to be quite expensive as he leaked 45 runs in his 4 overs and managed to get only one wicket. Though the man he dismissed was Virat Kohli whose wicket was not as priced then, as it is today. In the entire season, Nehra played 14 matches and scalped 12 wickets at an average of 29.00. In his IPL career, he has represented 6 different franchises and has featured in all the season until 2017 with an exception of 2011. After 88 matches and 106 wickets to his name, Nehra finally said goodbye to IPL in 2017. After his retirement, he has been appointed as the bowling coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore and he has retained that position thus far. Dhawal Kulkarni Dhawal Kulkarni. (Photo Source: MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/GettyImages) Dhawal Kulkarni remained a member of the Mumbai Indian for 5 years running from the inaugural edition. In the first match, Kulkarni gave away 19 runs in the 2.4 overs and dismissed Shivnarine Chanderpaul. In the 2008 season, Kulkarni scalped 11 wickets in 10 matches. After 5 years of association with MI, the pace bowler was released and subsequently picked by RR for two years. During RR’s suspension, he represented Gujarat Lions and played for RR again once the suspension was uplifted. He has been acquired by his first franchise MI again for IPL 2020.

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Mumbai Indians (MI) playing XI from their first IPL encounter in 2008: Where are they now?

With the next season of IPL around the corner, let’s take a look at where do the players from MI’s playing XI in their very first IPL game stand today.

Dhawal Kulkarni

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