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SPORTS MARCH 21, 2025 | The Indian Eye 35

IPL 2025

As Mumbai Indians bank

on the city’s swag for inspiration,

Delhi looks at its ‘solid’ team

Kl Rahul, who recently lifted the Champions Trophy with India, will face his former

side as Capitals open its campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on March 24

OUR BUREAU er batter KL Rahul revealed the emotions he felt
when his name came up in last year’s mega auction
Mumbai/New Delhi
and his opinion on the franchise’s team combination
umbai Indians (MI) has dropped the ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
first leg of its all-new season campaign, After spending three seasons as Lucknow Su-
M#PlayLikeMumbai--a tribute to the city’s per Giants (LSG) skipper, Rahul parted ways with
resilience, fearless attitude, and street-smart cricket the franchise and enrolled his name for the mega
culture that define both Mumbai and its iconic team auction.
Mumbai Indians (MI), as per the Reliance Founda- Following a fierce bidding war between Kolkata
tion press release. Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Benga-
Inspired by Mumbai’s gully culture and street- luru (RCB), Delhi Capitals (DC) entered the action
smart spirit, #PlayLikeMumbai showcases Mumbai and got an opener, captain and wicketkeeper-bat-
Indians’ core squad--from Bhai (Hardik Pandya) ter option in Rahul for a hefty sum of Rs 14 crore.
and Bhidu (Rohit Sharma) of the gullies to Dada “The auction was a nerve-wracking experience.
(Suryakumar Yadav), Boss (Jasprit Bumrah), and As a player, not knowing which team you will end up
Bantai (Tilak Varma)--who embody the city’s hustle with is never easy. Over the years, I’ve seen how un-
and hunger to win. predictable auctions can be--there’s no fixed pattern
Just like Mumbai, MI plays with flair, grit, and to how things unfold. Having been a captain for the
the ability to bounce back from any challenge - Be- last three seasons, I have been actively involved in
cause game ho ya life, we #PlayLikeMumbai, as per the process of building a team,” Rahul told JioStar.
the Reliance Foundation press release. Rahul, who was overwhelmed with feelings of
Jackie Shroff joined as MI’s ‘Spirit Coach’ - Bhi- anxiousness, nervousness, and excitement, was hap-
du, Yeh Toh Ekdum Alag Level Ka Move Hai! In a py to join the Capitals and is now looking ahead to
first-of-its-kind move, Bollywood’s OG Bhidu, Jack- the new season.
ie Shroff, steps into the role of ‘Spirit Coach’ for the “I understand the kind of pressure franchises
Mumbai Indians. Bringing his legendary Bambaiya face when assembling a squad. But from a player’s
swag and iconic dialogues, Jackie will fire up the MI perspective, it’s even tougher because your career is
Paltan, channeling the true essence of #PlayLike- at stake. The auction can shape a player’s future or
Mumbai throughout the season. present unexpected challenges. I was definitely ner-
Rap Anthem with Pure Bambaiya Swag - vous, even a little anxious. But at the same time, I
koi shakk?- The campaign comes to life with a knew this was the right step for my career. There
hard-hitting rap anthem featuring Mumbai’s very was excitement too, though it didn’t last very long
own voices--Srushti Tawade, Sambata, and Kaam because reality sets in quickly,” he said.
Bhari. This high-energy track captures the raw “I’m really happy to be joining the Delhi Capi-
pulse of the gullies, merging street cricket’s spirit tals. Parth Jindal, the team’s owner, is a close friend,
with the MI universe--because in Mumbai, cricket and we have spent a lot of time outside of cricket
is not played; it’s lived. discussing various things. I know how passionate he
From Jackie’s heavy-hitting dialogues to is about the sport, and I’m thrilled to be a part of
street-cricket stories and behind-the-scenes masti, India’s T-20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is one of the top stars this team. We have a strong squad, and I’m looking
#PlayLikeMumbai is more than just a campaign-- of Mumbai Indians (ANI) forward to the season ahead,” he added.
it’s a movement, bringing Mumbai’s raw, fearless While analysing the depth of the squad, Rahul
energy straight to the Paltan. Game ho ya life, we admits it is a “solid” team and is “excited” to play
#PlayLikeMumbai! ahead of IPL 2025. alongside skilled stars, including Mitchell Starc,
The five-time IPL champions retained their MI finished at the bottom in the last season, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
‘Fab Four’ by shelling out a hefty amount. Along where they could only manage four wins and 10 loss- Rahul, who recently lifted the Champions Tro-
with Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, es under the captaincy of a returning star, Hardik phy with India, will face his former side as Capitals
and Suryakumar Yadav, Bumrah was among the Pandya. open its campaign against Lucknow Super Giants
five players retained by the Mumbai-based franchise On the other hand, Delhi Capitals wicketkeep- on March 24.

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