Follow UsYet again, Mumbai Indians unearthed a new talent in the Indian Premier League in Naman Dhir. Prior to making his IPL debut, the 24-year-old all-rounder only played five T20s, where he averaged 9.75.
Largely, his talent wasn’t well-known in the league. But that’s where Mumbai’s scouting system goes deep into the cricketing systems in the country, having scouted the all-rounder at the 2023 Sher-E-Punjab T20 tournament. In that tournament, Dhir was the second-highest run-scorer, with 466 runs, averaging 42.36.
Mumbai Indians’ batting coach Kieron Pollard credited the scouting programme, stating that the franchise will continue to unearth new talents. Pollard also revealed that Dhir also went to England on a developmental tour, where he got to test his skills at the highest level.
"Kudos to the scouts, all the guys who work behind the scenes to unearth these sorts of talent within in India. He was one on our radar. He has been in the Mumbai setup over the last couple of months, going to England on a developmental tour. So, it's something we would've seen in that guy,” Kieron Pollard said in the post-match press conference.
Dhir walked out with the score reading 0/1 and immediately took the game by the scruff of its neck, smashing 20 off just 10 deliveries, with three fours and a massive six. Pollard added that the all-rounder had a ‘lot more to offer’, and his intent will make him stand out amidst the competition.
"He came out and he was very expressive. Again that lofted shot, you have got to be excited about these things. I thought he had a lot more to offer, his calmness even when we lost that first wicket, to continue that intent is a good start for him,” Pollard added.
“This is only the start, at the end of it, he scored 20 odd, let's give him that space, let him enjoy the moment, it's a big occasion for these guys. As a franchise, we'll continue to unearth new talent. In the future we can continue with continuity as we go along,” he said.
At 121/3, chasing 169, Mumbai were in the best possible position. But in the next three overs, runs dried up, making the task tall in the last four overs, where they required 39 runs. Ultimately, the five-time IPL winners fell short by six runs.
“For about 36 overs of that game, you are in control, and in the last four overs, we let it slip and ended up on the losing side. A couple of things to look at obviously, the tournament is very young, and guys coming in and understanding what is needed at this level,” he added.
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A lot of questions were raised about Hardik Pandya overbowling himself in the powerplay. In his first two overs, the all-rounder conceded 20 runs, despite Mumbai having a plethora of resources at their disposal. But Pollard was insistent that Hardik’s ability to swing the ball was a major reason behind him bowling two overs in the powerplay.
“Hardik bowled the first over, Bumrah bowled the fourth over. As a team, you sit and plan. Hardik has bowled with the new ball for Gujarat in the last two years, he swings the ball and he bowls with the new ball for India as well. Nothing new for us; we tried to maximise on the new ball. There’s nothing wrong there,” Pollard said.
There were concerns over Hardik’s entry point as well, with the new Mumbai skipper delaying his entry point, to promote Tim David. Pollard talked about that, stating that David’s role as a ‘designated finisher’ was the reason he walked out earlier than Hardik.
“As a team, we have plans. We talk about certain entry points for batters. We had two power hitters to go towards the back as well. Tim has finished games for us as well, and Hardik has done it for us a lot of times.”
“Again, at any point, any one of them can go in and arrest the situation. Didn’t happen tonight, so obviously there is a lot of chatter on who could have gone. We are a team and we make decisions collectively.”
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