The first-ever XI of Mumbai Indians: Where are they now?
Mumbai Indians first ever XI of IPL (Source: Twitter)
The Mumbai Indians (MI) at present are the most successful team in the history of IPL. But things were not the same from the inception of the tournament. In IPL 2008, Mumbai Indians under the leadership of Sachin Tendulkar finished at number five in the points table.
They played their first-ever match in the tournament against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The match resulted in RCB winning by five wickets with two balls remaining in the match.
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If we take a look at the final eleven of Mumbai Indians that played in the match, we will find that a major miss was Sachin Tendulkar. He missed the first seven matches for the team because of an injury. Let us take a look at the first-ever eleven of the team and where are these players in 2023.
First Ever XI of Mumbai Indians (Source: OneCricket)
So, what would we get if we look at the profiles of these players now?
1.Luke Ronchi: The Aussie-Kiwi international was seen opening the innings for the Mumbai Indians. Luke Ronchi scored 8 runs in the match off 10 deliveries.
Luke Ronchi opened the innings for Mumbai Indians in their first-ever match of IPL history (Source: Twitter)
Ronchi donned the Australian jersey in both ODIs and T20Is in 2008. But after this, he was dropped from the side and was never recalled for them. He was a part of the New Zealand team in the 2015 World Cup. Ronchi announces his retirement from international cricket in 2017 and later on went moved forward to coaching assignments.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya: The Sri Lankan legend opened the innings for Mumbai Indians alongside Ronchi in the team's first-ever IPL match. He got the team off to a flying start scoring 29 runs off 16 balls.
Sanath Jayasuriya was the opener for MI alongside Luke Ronchi in the first-ever IPL match of the franchise (Source: Twitter/@mipaltan)
Jayasuriya was a part of the franchise for the first seasons. He donned the Sri Lankan colours for the last time in 2011 and then shifted his focus to politics. Jayasuriya is currently focused on taking up coaching assignments.
3. Dominic Thornely: The Australian was the number three batter in the first-ever match of MI in the IPL. He failed to score in the match and was a part of the team for this one season only.
Dominic Thornely batted at number three in MI's first-ever match of IPL (Source: Twitter/@cricketcomau)
Thornely was a renowned name in the Australian domestic circuit and represented New South Wales there. He was also a part of Surrey and Hampshire in county cricket but never got a chance to play in the international arena. Thornely also represented the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League for a couple of seasons and later on went on to coach the NSW Breakers.
4. Robin Uthappa: The Indian middle-order batter batted at number four in this match and was the highest scorer for the team. Uthappa scored 48 runs off 38 balls and stabilised the innings for the team.
Robin Uthappa was the highest scorer for MI in their first-ever IPL match (Source: Twitter)
Uthappa later on played in many IPL franchises. He had his best time in the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he played an instrumental role in making them the champions twice. He played his last match in the tournament while being a part of the CSK set-up. Uthappa was last seen as a part of the India Maharajas team in Legends League Cricket 2023.
5. Pinal Shah: The number five batter for Mumbai Indians in this match was Pinal Shah. He played a knock of 19 runs from 23 balls.
Pinal Shah was the number five batter for MI (Source: Twitter)
Shah was a part of the Baroda team on the first-class set-up of India. He had a good record in the domestic arena but never got a chance to don the Indian jersey. In the under-19 days, Shah was a part of the 2006 India U-19 World Cup squad alongside Rohti Sharma. He played his last IPL match in 2011 while being a part of the Rajasthan Royals.
The batter announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2021 when aged 33.
6. Abhishek Nayar: The all-rounder came to bat at the number six position in this match and scored 20 runs off 14 balls. Abhishek Nayar was a part of the Mumbai Indians team till 2011 before being released ahead of the auction.
Abhishek Nayar was a part of the first-ever MI XI (Source: Twitter)
Nayar later went on to play for multiple franchises like - Punjab Kings, Pune Warriors India and Rajasthan Royals. He played for the last time in IPL in 2015 and the last first-class game in 2018. Nayar is now a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders coaching team.
7. Shaun Pollock: The South African legend batted in the lower-middle order and also opened the bowling for the team alongside Ashish Nehra. Pollock scored 28 runs off 12 balls and bowled four overs for 17 runs and no wickets.
Shaun Pollock played the 2008 IPL season for Mumbai Indians (Source: Twitter)
Pollock played only the 2008 season in IPL and also led them in a few matches. He has been a legend for the South African team and his name was included in the ICC Hall of Fame in 2021. Pollock is nowadays seen as a commentator on various channels.
8. Harbhajan Singh: The legendary Indian spinner was the skipper of the team in Sachin Tendulkar's absence. He scored 2 runs off 2 balls and with the ball bowled four overs for 36 runs while picking up two wickets.
Harbhajan Singh was the first-ever captain of MI (Source: Twitter)
Harbhajan Singh has been a big part of the Indian set-up for a long time. He announced retirement in 2021. As far as his IPL career is concerned, Harbhajan Singh was also a part of the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. He was recently seen playing for the India Maharajas in Legends League Cricket 2023.
9. Musavir Khote: The name might be very less recognised in the cricketing circuit. Musavir Khote got very little chance to perform in this match for the Mumbai Indians. He featured in only four matches for the franchise and that was his last IPL season.
Khote later played some impressive knocks in the T20 format in the domestic circuit but never got too much recognition. Khote announced retirement from all forms of cricket in 2011 at the age of 30 and has stayed away from the limelight since then.
10. Ashish Nehra: The Indian left-arm pacer was a part of the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2008 and made it to their first-ever playing XI. Nehra bowled four overs in the match and conceded 45 runs in them while picking up a wicket.
Ashish Nehra was the opening bowler for MI in IPL 2008 (Source: Twitter)
He was a part of the Indian squad that went on to the ODI World Cup in 2011. Barring Mumbai Indians, Nehra played for Delhi Capitals, Pune Warriors India, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2017.
After retirement, Nehra played the role of bowling coach for RCB in 2018 and 2019. He is now a part of the coaching team of the Gujarat Giants.
11. Dhawan Kulkarni: The right-arm medium pacer was the first change bowler for MI in this match. He bowled 2.4 overs in the match, conceded 19 runs in them and picked up a wicket.
Dhawal Kulkarni was a part of the first-ever XI of Mumbai Indians (Source: Twitter/@mipaltan)
Kulkarni has featured in 12 ODIs and two T20Is for India. Apart from Mumbai Indians, Kulkarni has also played for Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Lions in the IPL. He is still playing cricket and went unsold in the auction for the IPL 2023 season.
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
