“I did enter the IPL auction wanting Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) in my team, so it wouldn’t be correct to say we bought him purely as an afterthought,” Mumbai Indians’ owner Akash Ambani informed The Telegraph.
The brief interaction with the extremely affable Akash took place on Tuesday night at the JW Marriott’s property on NH 11.
Laughing, Akash added: “I knew you would certainly ask me about Yuvi! With (captain) Rohit Sharma opening, Yuvi will bring experience to the middle order, at No.4 or No.5. He was very much in our plans.”
Earlier, at a media conference, Akash explained: “We’ve always been wanting to have Yuvi on board, but we didn’t have the purse at the previous auctions...
“We haven’t saved Yuvi’s career in any way, for he’s been a fantastic player. Getting Yuvi is a plus and I’m looking forward to his contribution.”
On player-turned-coach-turned-player Lasith Malinga, Akash said: “Malinga has been our best overseas player and he remains the No.1 wicket-taker in the IPL. We haven’t bought him on grounds of sentiment, but he’d be fulfilling a role.”
The Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, have appointed Zaheer Khan as director of cricket operations and he was present during the auction.
“New role, yes... It was something to look forward to,” Zaheer told this Reporter.
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene, speaking exclusively, commented: “Zaheer’s has, indeed, been a very exciting development.”
The Mumbai Indians have won the IPL three times.