The Official Mumbai Indians Supporters Thread !!!

[SachDan]

'God of cricket' Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar captains Mumbai Indians,most popular team of IPL !!

MI Team 2009

MI SCHEDULE - 09

Date         Day                Teams          Venue             Timings 
18-Apr-2009 Saturday  Mumbai Indians Vs CSK  Cape Town      16:00 Hrs - 20:00 Hrs 
21-Apr-2009 Tuesday   Mumbai Indians Vs RR   Durban         20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
25-Apr-2009 Saturday  Mumbai Indians Vs DC   Durban         16:00 Hrs - 20:00 Hrs 
27-Apr-2009 Monday    Mumbai Indians Vs KKR  Port Elizabeth 20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
29-Apr-2009 Wednesday Mumbai Indians Vs KXIP Durban         20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
01-May-2009 Friday    Mumbai Indians Vs KKR  East London    16:00 Hrs - 20:00 Hrs 
03-May-2009 Sunday    Mumbai Indians Vs RC  Johannesburg    20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
06-May-2009 Wednesday Mumbai Indians Vs DC   Pretoria       20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
08-May-2009 Friday    Mumbai Indians Vs DD   East London    20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
10-May-2009 Sunday    Mumbai Indians Vs RC   Port Elizabeth 16:00 Hrs - 20:00 Hrs 
12-May-2009 Tuesday   Mumbai Indians Vs KXIP Pretoria       20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
14-May-2009 Thursday  Mumbai Indians Vs RR   Durban         20:00 Hrs - 24:00 Hrs 
16-May-2009 Saturday  Mumbai Indians Vs CSK  Port Elizabeth 16:00 Hrs - 20:00 Hrs 
21-May-2009 Thursday  Mumbai Indians Vs DD   Pretoria       16:00 Hrs - 20:00 Hrs 

MI Anthem dXKAIlyu-zk

Fan Zone http://www.mumbaiindians.com/MI_Fanzone.aspx

[Gambit]

IPL Team - Mumbai Indians : News & Updates IPL Mumbai 2/21/2008 2:28:49 PM History was made on Wednesday (February 20) as cricket's biggest names were auctioned today at Hilton Towers, Mumbai. A total of 79 players both Indian and international went under the hammer for the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League. One of the eight teams which feature in this extravagent form of the game is IPL MUMBAI Owner: Reliance Industries Ltd -- Chairman and Managing director -- Mukesh Ambani, purchased the rights to bag team Mumbai's franchise of the Indian Premier League for US $111.9 million. The auction that was held on January 24, 2008 which saw RIL making Mumbai the most expensive franchise in the league. The players for team Mumbai were purchased for US$ 4,971,250 (Rs 19.88cr) About owner: Reliance Industries Ltd, is one of India's largest private sector companies. With numerous companies under its brand name, the company was founded by Late Dhirubhai Ambani in 1966. Founded as Reliance Commercial Corporation, severe differnces of opinions between the founder's sons -- Mukhes and Anil Ambani -- divided the group in 2006. Mukesh Ambani -- the Chairman and Managing Director of RIL -- stands by it's slogan 'Growth is Life' and ventured into the T20 league along with other big names in the nation. Players: The Mumbai IPL team holds an icon player in the form of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. During the IPL bidding held on Wednesday (February 20, 2008), Mumbai bid for seven players successfully which included even the likes of Robin Uthappa and Harbhajan Singh. http://www.timesnow.tv/Newsdtls.aspx?NewsID=6081

[mhr123]

:two_thumbs_up:

[Gambit]

Mumbai to host ten IPL ties Mumbai frachise winners Reliance India Ltd of Mukesh Ambani, will host ten matches, including the two semi finals and final, in the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League set to kick off at Bangalore on April 18. Reliance Ltd. Has earned the right to host the final and the two semi finals by virtue of having bid the highest (USD 111.9) during the franchise auction which netted the Cricket Board USD 723.6 million, according to IPL sources. "The bid by Vijay Mallya's UB Group of USD 111.6 m for the Bangalore franchise was the second-best and that's why he has been allotted the League opener on April 18," they said. With each franchise team playing all other teams once on a home and away basis, the Mumbai franchise owners will be hosting seven ties in the preliminary stage of the tournament plus the three in the knock-out phase, making it ten in all. IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi today said the Mumbai franchise owners have been given the option of hosting matches at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium and the D Y Patil Stadium, in Navi Mumbai. "I guess they will choose CCI," he said when asked which of the two venues would be preferred for the June 1 final and the two semi finals, slated for May 30 and 31. The other seven franchise owners - Bangalore (United Breweries), Hyderabad (Deccan Chronicle Group), Chennai (India Cements), Delhi (GMR Group), Kolkata (Red Chillies Entertainment of Shah Rukh Khan and Group), Chandigarh (Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, R Burman and Group) and Jaipur (Emerging Media Group) would host seven matches each in the 44-day, 59-match League. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=ff2452dc-1ac1-4323-a866-4f10be4774b7&ParentID=a06aa0c5-7822-44a9-802c-e6623db97cd6&MatchID1=4665&TeamID1=10&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1174&PrimaryID=4665&Headline=Mumbai+to+host+ten+IPL+ties

[Gambit]

Sneak peak into IPL's Mumbai team Indian Premier League Mumbai Tendua will be on prowl with a blend of experience & youth. So, get ready for exquisite square drives. The city, once the cricket capital of the country, could well be on the periphery of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar notwithstanding. The approach that the franchise began with was to go in for marquee players and then for youth. The franchise though seemed to have got its bidding strategy wrong after spending close to $3 million for its first four players. It has opted for Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock-brilliant, multi-dimensional cricketers in their own right, but perhaps not with the legs required for a frenetic brand of cricket over three years. Therefore, they had to pick up relatively untested players like Cameron White for what seems like an exorbitant amount. But the people involved with the franchise don’t think it’s a raw deal at all. Says Kaushik Roy, who heads the franchise for Mr Ambani, “Every player is a potential match-winners. We chose players on their availability, and who’ll be consistently available for three years unlike other teams who have bid for players who may not be playing in year 1 itself.” Mr Roy added that they wanted enough leeway for young talent that he believes will drive the T20 game. People are certainly watching the team closely. A source says, “Mumbai seems to have got a mercurial brand of cricketers. Guys like Malinga can change the entire game with just one-two overs in a T20 format.” http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Specials/IPL_Auction/Sneak_peak_into_IPLs_Kolkata_Chennai__Mumbai_teams/articleshow/msid-2799886,curpg-3.cms

[Feed]

‘Sachin is the nucleus of the team’ R Balachandran, a key strategist for the Mumbai IPL team, speaks on Reliance's plans to Amol Karhadkar. More... First Published: 23:16 IST(24/2/2008) Last Updated: 23:18 IST(24/2/2008) WHILE MANY of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees have announced their respective team's name, captains, coaches and even some of their domestic signings, the Mumbai team — owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) — has remained tight-lipped about most of the issues. However, with less than two months to go for the IPL gala, R Balachandran, President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Reliance Retail Limited, who is a key figure in RIL's IPL team, agreed to talk about their plans in an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times. Excerpts: On RIL's decision to venture into the IPL We look at it as means to contribute to Indian sports. It was not a difficult decision to take a plunge into the IPL since cricket has a very strong emotional connect with the people of India. On the business aspect of owning an IPL team The amount involved, that is 111.9 million USD, is a very big in terms of cricket, but for us as a business entity it's not such a huge investment. And more importantly, when you look at the time span of 10 years for which the amount has to be invested for owning a team, the perspective changes completely. When you think you have to pay close to Rs 45 crore per year only for the team rights, you start looking at it very differently. Also, it is in a sense a very unique business opportunity since there are immediate returns guaranteed through the form of television rights. On Wednesday's player auction If you ask me whether we got those we wished for, on a scale of 10, I would say we got eight. And in an auction it is a reasonable figure. It was our iconic player's (Sachin Tendulkar's) wishlist. And if you look at the eight players we have on board so far, the crux of the squad is formed. We have the world's most lethal opening combination (in Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya). Then we have Shaun Pollock who is one of the best all-rounders. And then we have a couple of surprise packages, which will be known to you very soon. On whether Tendulkar would be leading the Mumbai team I cannot comment on it now. All I would say is that the Mumbai team will revolve around him. He is the nucleus of the team. And everything else is a mere formality. On whether Lalchand Rajput is set to become the Mumbai coach. We are in the process of finalising a coach. You will get to know it in due course. On the name of the team It is also being finalised. You will get to know it to shortly. On the likely duration before all these things are actually finalised If you see, the final of the tournament is just 14 to 15 weeks away. So it's not even a matter of weeks, it's a matter of days now. All these announcements will be made very soon. On whether the Mumbai team's home matches will be played at the Brabourne Stadium or the Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. We have to play our home games in one of the three stadiums in Mumbai. This years since Wankhede is unavailable, we will play at either of the two other stadiums. As things stand, we are considering both options. On whether the seven home games can be split between the two stadiums If you ask me whether it can happen, yes, it can happen. But as of now, we haven't finalised anything.

[suraj]

they better hope SRT wins the toss every time and bats first because otherwise he is useless

[Chandan]

If you ask me whether we got those we wished for, on a scale of 10, I would say we got eight. And in an auction it is a reasonable figure. It was our iconic player's (Sachin Tendulkar's) wishlist.

So these players were Sachin's choice? Let me see: Mumbai Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$850,000), Shaun Pollock (US$550,000), Robin Uthappa (US$800,000), Lasith Malinga (US$350,000), Dilhara Fernando (US$150,000), Loots Bosman (US$175,000) I just can't believe that Sacin's choice are so bad! Dilhara Fernando? What good he is for, that too in T20? Malinga is fast and furious alright, but doesn't he leak too masny runs? Loots Bosman? He certainly can't be Sachin's wishlist! Why didn't he go for Rohit Sharma, instead of Uthappa? I suppose Rahane and Nayar might bring some balance back to the team, but I must say that Mumbai seems the least impressive team at the moment and is extremely slow on other fronts too such as getting a name for the team, or appointing the support staff etc. It is the team which is not in news at all! This lack of publicity might cost them!

[Chandan]

IPL: Mumbai sign Rahane By: Sudheendra Tripathi Ajinkya Rahane MUKESH Ambani's Mumbai team for the inaugural Indian Premier League that kicks off in Bangalore in April, has signed Mumbai opener Ajinkya Rahane. "I signed the contract on Saturday, but I am not sure of the details. They will be worked out once I return from the West Zone one dayers," Rahane told MiD DAY. The Mumbai opener, who has scored over a thousand runs this season, was the obvious choice. For, not only he has the backing of runs, he also qualifies to participate in the team as per IPL guidelines. It is mandatory for all competing teams to have four players from the under-22 ranks, and an equal number of players from the city. Rahane not only is a local lad, but was also part of Mumbai's under-19 team. All-rounder Abhishek Nair too has been signed on for Mumbai. Pinal Shah and Yogesh Takawale will also be part of the Mumbai outfit. ------------------ I'm sure Rahane, who most certainly is the next international batsman for India, will play in Mumbai XI. The aggressive batsman can even open with Sanath Jayasurya. Also Abhishek Nair is another good sign as he will be handy to bowl 2-3 or even 4 overs and can bat aggressively. I don't have much idea about Shah or Takawale.

[Guest Hiten.]

Rahane....wohoooo :two_thumbs_up:

[eternalhope]

IPL: Mumbai sign Rahane I don't have much idea about Shah or Takawale.

Shah I think is a wicket keeper.

[Feed]

'Sachin will be roaring success in T20' Tendulkar may have played a solitary Twenty20 International, but his IPL Mumbai team owners are confident he would be a roaring success. More... Qaiser Mohammad Ali, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, February 28, 2008 First Published: 15:17 IST(28/2/2008) Last Updated: 15:27 IST(28/2/2008) Sachin Tendulkar may have played a solitary Twenty20 International, but his Indian Premier League (IPL) Mumbai team owners Reliance Retail are confident he would be a roaring success even if he is pushing 35. Some experts wonder if Tendulkar would be as big a success in the hit-and-run, energy sapping T20, the shortest version of the game, as he has been in Test and one-day international cricket. A top official of the Mukesh Ambani owned Reliance Retail said the company has built the Mumbai team around Tendulkar and expressed confidence that the star bat has quite a few playing years left. "I would not like to comment on his age as he is so deeply involved with the formation Mumbai T20 team and that's a good sign," R. Balachandran, president and chief marketing officer Reliance Retail, told IANS. Balachandran says he got to know more about Tendulkar's sharp brains while interacting with him on the composition, strategy of the team and buying of players at the historic auction Feb 20. The diminutive maestro, who will turn 35 a week into the 45-day IPL tournament beginning April 18, has amassed 11,782 runs in 146 Tests and 16,153 in 415 one-day internationals. But in the only Twenty20 International he managed 10 runs. He has played five other Twenty20 matches and scored 198 at 39.60, including a highest of 69. He opted out of last year's Twenty20 World Championship that India won in September. Balachandran said the company would not be looking to Tendulkar to just contribute with the bat or on-field strategy, but also for innumerable other inputs off the field. After all, Reliance has spent a total of $117 million, including $111.9 million on buying the team for the 10 years and $4.97 on the purchase of eight players at the historic auction. After the auction the company spent more money on signing Indian players. Balachandran disclosed that Tendulkar gave the company a list of players that were targeted at the auction. "We have been in constant touch with him. He gave a lot of inputs for buying the players. The team that we have today has Tendulkar's stamp," said Balachandran, who was authorised to deal with IPL on behalf of his company. Balachandran said Tendulkar continues to be hugely popular among the masses and it would be the same during the IPL tournament. "Tendulkar has gone beyond the realm of being a legend. He is a talisman, an icon. He and Mumbai cricket are inseparable and the Mumbaikars love him."

[Feed]

New stadium gearing up to host IPL ties D Y Patil stadium has almost been completed except for putting up the poly vinyl roof above its stands. It can accommodate 55,000 spectators in its bucket seats. More... New stadium gearing up to host IPL ties Mumbai, February 29, 2008 First Published: 16:35 IST(29/2/2008) Last Updated: 16:36 IST(29/2/2008) A swanky new cricket stadium built by inducting the good points of various top-class venues around the world is gearing up to host a few ties in the April 18-June 1 Indian Premier League. D Y Patil stadium has almost been completed except for putting up the poly vinyl roof above its stands. It can accommodate 55,000 spectators in its bucket seats. Vijay Patil, President of the D Y Patil University and Sports Academy, is confident that the stadium, housed inside a vast area of educational institutions run by his family, will live up to the expectations of the Cricket Board-promoted IPL. "We have been shortlisted for hosting IPL matches and the Reliance Industries officials (owners of the Mumbai franchise of the IPL) have visited us. They were appreciative of what has been done here," Patil told PTI today. "We will receive a final intimation (on hosting of IPL matches) shortly, but I am pretty confident that we would host some matches," said Patil. He said that the completion of the roofing would be done very soon as all the material for doing so has already arrived "We are hosting a Twenty20 tournament for the D Y Patil Cup for the fourth year here from March 4-11 (as a run-up to IPL)," he said. Asked about the cost of building the stadium, Patil said that it had cost 100 crore but would have been double the amount had he undertaken the task of doing so now. Patil is certain that such a facility would be a boon to citizens from in and around the area as also residents of Thane and Mulund just across the northern side of the Vashi creek. "I wanted to build a stadium for cricket and my dream was backed by my father. This area - including neighbouring Thane, Mulund and Raigad, houses a population of 1.7 million and they can travel here and watch the top cricketers in action," he said. Patil said that the soil for the pitch has been imported from South Africa and the outfield is perhaps the only one in the country with a base of sand which will facilitate drying in case of inclement weather. "We started building it around the end of 2004 and it has taken three years to complete it. I had the opportunity to see varuious stadium like Lord's and the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and have taken the good points from all these and included them here," he said. "We have carried out an innovation here, by bringing in 200 tonnes of clay soil from South Africa. One of our pitch experts is here from SA. It's perhaps the only ground in India with a sand-based outfield," he said. "It will facilitate in draining of water very well as sand absorbs water much better than the red soil found elsewhere. It's there in Lord's and in the West Indies grounds switched over to them before hosting the World Cup," he said. (More) "The media box, to house 150 persons, is also like a self-contained hospitality box which will have top class communications facilities," Patil said. "There are also 12 exits placed right round the stadium. We have also opened a main entrance into the vast area housing the stadium from the (Mumbai-Pune) highway side too," he said. He said that the intention is to use the various facilities the sports arena had, including a swimming pool and tennis courts, throughout the year and not allow to them lie idle. "We want the facilities to be utilised throughout. We have not built this arena only with international events in mind," he said adding that the 30-odd residential rooms attached to it will be used to house domestic cricketers if and when it is allotted matches by the authorities. Though he's passionate about cricket, Patil also intends to use the stadium during off-season to hold football matches. "Like the MCG goes in Australia we have plans to use the stadium to hold football ties too. But that's for the future," he said.

[sandeep]

Mumbai Indians? WTF. that's the best they could come up with. Ambani's IPL team is boring in more ways than one. http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ipl/content/story/341569.html

[Sachinism]

haha what a stupid name they seriously need to reconsider

[cochise]

Maybe they mean Red Indians?

[amits]

this seems to be a worser name than even chennai super kings. only delhi & jaipur have got decent team names for themselves. even mumbai masters would have been a better name or they could have named it after sachin as mumbai master blasters

[Chandan]

Indian Premier League 2007-08 Mumbai IPL team named 'Mumbai Indians' Cricinfo staff March 8, 2008 The Mumbai franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been named the Mumbai Indians. Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who was also named captain of the side, unveiled the team logo at a promotional event in Mumbai. The team logo has the Sudarshan Chakra with the team's name engraved in it. The team's colour will be blue. The franchise, owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd, was bought for US$ 111.9 million, making it the most expensive of the eight franchises. The team has three Sri Lankans in Lasith Malinga, Sanath Jayasuriya and Dilhara Fernando. Robin Uthappa and Harbhajan Singh are the other Indian players, besides Tendulkar. Speaking at the launch, Tendulkar said, "Mumbai Indians is a nice combination of senior players and youngsters, so I think we all will be looking forward to go out there, put up a perfect unit and perform well." ---------------------------------------- Why could they not think of any other name?

[ludhianvi]

that really is a poor name for a city.

[novpj]

Wait for Thackrey to launch a movement to vall the team Mumbai Manus