Mumbai Indians (MI) Global have announced the captains for their new franchises for the brand new SA20 and UAE T20 League on Friday (December 2, 2022). Kieron Pollard, formerly associated with Mumbai Indians and Rashid Khan will lead the duties for MI Emirates and MI Cape Town, respectively. The two new franchises are part of the MI Global family and will look to establish their supremacy overseas apart from India.
MI Global in a press release said:
We’re extremely pleased to announce our captains for our extended MI Global one family for the cricketing season 2023. We have an amazing mix of talent, experience, and passion in both our captains. I’m convinced that Polly and Rashid will take forward the MI ethos and MI brand of cricket. Both will work with our excellent coaching teams to infuse the MI spirit in MI Emirates and MI Cape Town and win the hearts of cricket fans in UAE and South Africa,” Mumbai Indians co-owner Akash Ambani said during the press conference as they intend to establish another global brand.
The MI franchises will function under the parent franchise Mumbai Indians, who are the record Indian Premier League (IPL) winners with five titles. The established franchise based in Mumbai also made its name on the global stage as it won the now-abolished Champions League T20 on two occasions.
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MI Global recently appointed Kieron Pollard as their batting coach for the IPL 2023 season after he announced his retirement. However, in a bold move, they have now rewarded Pollard for his excellent service by appointing him as the skipper. The West Indies star player was MI’s longest-serving player, having joined the IPL franchise in 2010.
Rashid Khan on the flip side was a big pick for the MI franchise as they look to win the SA20 in the first time of asking. Rashid has a proven track record in the T20 format all over the world and was recently seen winning the IPL 2022 title with Gujarat Titans (GT). Both MI Emirates and MI Cape Town will be seen in action when they take the center stage in 2023 when the new leagues kick off.
