Harmanpreet Kaur, who was confirmed as captain for Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League, said she was looking forward to playing an aggressive brand of cricket.
“I’ve seen the Mumbai Indians team doing so well on TV. And now I’m going to be a part of it,” she said in an interaction with MITV.
Harmanpreet has had a lot of success in the T20 format, both as captain and player. She’s the only Indian woman to score a hundred in the format in international cricket. She has also played the most T20Is in cricket. She also led India to a historic silver medal finish at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
“When you show that aggression, the opposition is always under pressure. For me, it is very important that I support each and every player from my team and play aggressive cricket,” she said, when asked about her preferred style of captaincy.
The Indian captain will be striking a partnership with head coach Charlotte Edwards at Mumbai Indians, one of the most composed coaches in the game. She will also be reuniting forces with team mentor and bowling coach Jhulan Goswami, who she made her India debut under.
“I feel lucky that I’m going to be working again with Jhulu di, and Charlotte is someone who did really well for English cricket. I have heard that she’s very, very calm and a very good coach. I’m sure I will learn a lot of things from her,” she said.
She will look to draw inspiration from Rohit Sharma, who has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. “I think it is a great achievement. I’m really looking forward to being a part of this team. I have seen Rohit (Sharma) doing so well for this team for so many years. I’ve gotten this opportunity to be a part of MI and I will also give my 100 per cent. The women’s team will also do well like the men’s team.”
She also spoke about the importance of backing the players and giving them the freedom to play naturally. “The most important thing is to just go out there and enjoy. This is a great moment for all women cricketers. We just want to try and win all the matches for Mumbai Indians.”