* Allah Ghazanfar is from Paktia, a Pashtun province with a violent history on Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. He is a 19-year-old mystery spinner, a lower-order six-hitter and is being compared to the greatest cricketer his country has produced – Rashid Khan.
* Robin Minz grew up in Telgaon, the tribal belt in Jharkhand’s Gumla district that’s mostly in news for insurgency. He is a 22-year-old wicketkeeper, has earned a MS Dhoni recco and is also being called ‘Jharkhand ka Chris Gayle.’
* Bevon Jacobs was born in Pretoria, South Africa, now lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Those who have seen the 22-year-old play see shades of living legends from his country of birth – AB de Villiers and Faf du Plesis – in his batting.
At this week’s mega Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Mumbai Indians signed these youngsters who were unknown to those outside cricket’s inner circle but are central to their plans going ahead. Ghazanfar and Minz, those in the know say, will start in all games. As for Jacobs, he is a long-term investment, one for the future.
The story of how MI spotted, followed, chased, tested and finally drafted these three promising players points to IPL’s pushing back boundaries, stretching its reach and asserting its reputation as a truly global league. Not just India, the nets are now being cast into the deep interiors of the entire cricketing world. It’s like the searing gaze of European football clubs on the ghettos of South America or NBA travelling to public basketball courts in Eastern Europe with cheque books. There’s more …
Tanzid Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam all fell victim to Ghazanfar’s fiery spell.
The valuable inputs about the potential of these untested players were provided by the army of ex-MI players spread across the world. Close to 15 talent-spotters have been MI’s loyal and trusted retainers.
It also helps that MI have sister teams in franchise leagues in South Africa, USA and UAE. Since the launch of the International League T20, a tournament owned by the Emirates Cricket Board, MI have a unit stationed in Dubai. Incidentally, that is where the Afghanistan national team trains. MI old hand Robin Singh, who coaches MI Emirates, first spotted Ghazanfar when he got into the Afghanistan national camp.
Singh’s regular cable to HQ Mumbai would mention the boy from Paktia. Ghazanfar was now on MI watch. Comparisons would be made. The optimists would see in him Sunil Narine – the Trinidadian mystery spinner-cum-opener who helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their third title earlier this year. At the junior level, the Ghazanfar graph would keep showing spikes. From the under-19 national team, he would graduate to the seniors.
Months before the auction, the Afghan boy would play India A in the Emerging Trophy tournament in UAE. He would dismiss India’s big T20 hope – left-hander Abhishekh Sharma. Next in was India A captain Tilak Verma, the top-order batsman retained by Mumbai. Tilak would face a few Ghazanfar deliveries, most being dot balls. Another vital input would reach the MI core team that would be at the auction table. Tilak’s green signal was all MI needed to go ‘all out’ for the Afghan teen. They would end up buying him for much less than what they had expected. Maybe, other franchises don’t have that many talent scouts posted at every cricketing outpost. Maybe, that’s why they didn’t know his true worth.
Ranchi’s Robin Minz (left) alongside his parents. (Instagram/Express photo)
Minz has a different backstory. The Jharkhand boy was part of the auction last time also. He was picked by Gujarat Titans for Rs 3.6 crore. Unfortunately for Minz, a freak motorbike accident ruled him out for the season. But MI’s hot pursuit continued. They had whiffed a star, and didn’t give up on the trail.
MI’s man in Jharkhand is Saurabh Tiwary. The burly left-handed batsman was with the franchise for four years. He was a utility player, a master of cameos who MI kept retaining. He was reliable and it was this quality that came handy again. Tiwary’s ‘all ok’ was a factor in Minz getting picked by MI.
Long-term view
While Ghazanfar and Minz are ripe to take the field, Jacobs still has time. MI is ready to wait. The batsman has numbers and is also recommended by the trusted voice of Mitchell McClenaghan, another former MI player. Back in 2015, the Kiwi pacer was signed for a bargain price of Rs 30 lakh. He would prove to be priceless that season. He got 18 wickets of which three were in the final against Chennai Super Kings. He played a role in MI winning the title. Even after retirement, he continues to be valuable. So when McClenaghan called to say that Jacobs had potential, MI were ready to listen and lift the paddle at the auction.
Robin Singh, Tiwary and McClenaghan are the back room boys to the coaching galacticos, also former MI players, seen in the dugout on match days. Starting with their first marquee player, the GOAT himself, Sachin Tendulkar, most MI stars, after their playing days, remain part of the Mumbai Indians set-up. Shaun Pollock, Ricky Ponting, Lasith Malinga, Shane Bond, Zaheer Khan … the list is long.
MI vs LSG IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians bowler Jasprit Bumrah bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)
It’s the post-retirement employment, along with playing-day perks, that makes MI a franchise where players rarely leave after checking in. Take the example of India’s present MVP, Jasprit Bumrah. He was spotted by MI’s long-time talent spotter-in-chief John Wright, groomed by Bond and Malinga. When he got injured, the world-class medical facility, owned by the MI owners, came in handy. It was the same when Hardik Pandya got injured. Even lesser players are extended the same perks.
Back in 2019, MI’s West Indian signing Alzarri Joseph, within days of his 6/13 on debut, got injured while taking a tough catch. Even six months after the IPL season, Joseph was put up in a five-star hotel for his rehab.
All this helps to answer that pre-auction puzzling retention question: How were Mumbai able to hold on to Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav – the marquee players who could have got more cash and the captaincy arm-band from any other team of their choice? They wouldn’t have got the same perks elsewhere.
This also ended up helping others. The huge supply-demand leadership gap would result in the likes of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer getting the crores that didn’t match with their captaincy acumen and record. The unending spotting-retaining cycle also makes MI avoid the existential questions that a one-man franchise like CSK faces – Who after MS Dhoni?
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