IPL 2024 - MI's 'amazing' welcome leaves captain Hardik Pandya feeling 'warm and emotional'

With the Women's Premier League (WPL) done and dusted, the spotlight will now shift to the men's T20 league - the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Set to be played across various venues in India, the management has currently released only the first half of the tournament's schedule, with the remainder to follow according to election dates.

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Amidst the ongoing preparations and players joining their respective camps, the Mumbai Indians (MI) team welcomed their new captain, Hardik Pandya, to the squad. The Indian all-rounder, at the pre-season press conference in Mumbai on Monday (March 18), responded to numerous questions from journalists and fans alike. Answering OTTPlay's question "How was your welcome to the MI team?" Hardik said it was 'emotional'.

Hardik wore a fond smile as he expressed, "My return has been amazing, especially coming back to where it all started, and now the journey is going to continue. So, very excited, very happy. The welcome was wonderful; it was very warm and very emotional. Two years back, I never thought I would be back here, but I am."

Addressing similar questions regarding his return to the MI franchise, Pandya stated, "First of all, it is very good to be back. I’m back where everything started. It is a very surreal feeling because everything that I have known from 2015 to now has been because of this team. My life completely changed when I made my debut in 2015. I'm very grateful to have reached here and playing again at a ground that is my favourite from day one." 

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Hardik also said that his return to MI was a 'homecoming' saying, "It feels wonderful to be back. Never thought that 10 years down the line I’d be captaining Mumbai Indians. The feeling is amazing. Very excited for the season ahead and to play again with my old fellows. We have got a lot of success together."

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As for MI head coach Mark Boucher, he spoke about the team's preparations and stated that they were well-rounded with the new additions. "We have got new international players. They are very energetic, which is always good. We had a pretty good season. We are in a pretty good space at the moment," Boucher said.

Mumbai Indians' Season Opener:

Mumbai Indians (MI) will kick off their IPL 2024 campaign on March 24 (Sunday) against Gujarat Titans (GT) - the MI skipper's previous home. The side recently named England Pacer Luke Wood as a replacement for Jason Behrendorff.

Tickets for MI home games are now available, and fans can visit BookMyShow to secure their seats.

Mumbai Indians squad:

Hardik Pandya (C), Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Luke Wood, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma.