Mumbai Indians XI and their famed Australian team equivalents

8) Nathan Coulter-Nile – Nathan Bracken

One of the reasons why Mumbai Indians have been the most successful side in the IPL is that they back their players irrespective of their reputation. And sometimes, it is enough for a player to get his confidence back. That’s what happened with Nathan Coulter-Nile in IPL 2020. After going through a lean patch for most of the season, the pacer delivered when it mattered the most.

Coulter Nile bowled a match-defining spell of 2/29 in the final. In simple terms, he turned out to be the unsung hero of the team’s fifth championship win. And it is very much alike to Nathan Bracken’s contribution to the Australian team’s 2006 ICC Champions Trophy win. The left-arm pacer picked up three wickets in the all-important final of that tournament.

At the time, Bracken mostly went unnoticed because of the star bowlers of the side, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, and it is exactly what Coulter-Nile experienced in the IPL 2020. He always remained in the shadows of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Similarly, like Bracken, Nathan’s career has also been marred by injuries, but there has never been a doubt about his bowling prowess.