Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) has always been the home of India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar who hails from the city and now is has become the home to his son as well, as Arjun Tendulkar was bought by the five-time IPL champions for his base price of Rs 20 lakhs in the recent IPL 2021 Auction.
The IPL 2021 auction saw Mumbai Indians buying seven players including Arjun Tendulkar as they fortified their already formidable squad further. There were some pieces missing in their team and in the IPL 2021 auction, the defending champions filled those spots as well.
Arjun Tendulkar. Image Credits: Twitter
The Added Pressure Of Being Sachin Tendulkar’s Son Will Always Be On Him- Zaheer Khan
Mumbai Indians’ director of operation Zaheer Khan spoke well of the 21-year-old all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, who had recently made his senior Mumbai debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy.
“I have spent a lot of time in the nets, trying to teach him some tricks of the trade, he is a hard working kid, he is keen on learning, it is an exciting part. The added pressure of being Sachin Tendulkar’s son will always be on him, it is something he needs to live with, the environment of the team will help him.
Zaheer Khan (IPLT20)
It will help him become a good cricketer, how many times a youngster gets picked in the auction and everyone is talking about him, he has to prove himself and he has to show everyone he has the goods,” said Zaheer during a virtual press conference.
Zaheer Khan Talks About Buying Nathan Coulter-Nile And Jimmy Neesham In The Auction
The IPL 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 champion Mumbai Indians bought Piyush Chawla, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Arjun Tendulkar, Yudhvir Charak, and Marco Jansen in the auction, Their most expensive buy was the Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile, who they acquired for Rs 5 crores.
Nathan Coulter-Nile. (Credits: Twitter)
“It is a complete attack for sure, if you see how we have been stacking up for the squad, we have a good balance in our fast-bowling attack, we are happy to have Coulter-Nile back, we surely back him and he is going to add that balance to the squad, previous IPL, he was one of our top picks,” Zaheer said about buying Coulter-Nile in the auction.
MI also bought New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham in the auction as well, despite him not having a very good IPL 2020 for Punjab Kings. However, the defending champions went after the Kiwi and got him for his base price.
Jimmy Neeshan (PBKS Twitter)
“He is someone who has capabilities of a good all-rounder, it is all about timing, we have timed it well. Neesham has the capabilities and that is what we all think, hence the opportunity. It is all about timing, it is all about getting a chance to prove yourself,” said Zaheer.
Before the auction, Mumbai Indians had retained Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Chris Lynn, Anmolpreet Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare (WK), Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Mohsin Khan.
Also Read: IPL 2021 Auction: Complete List Of Players Bought By Mumbai Indians
