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.
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
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.
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