The owners of MI Emirates, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), announced their squad on Friday ahead of the inaugural edition of UAE’s International League T20. Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran and Trent Boult are set to join MI Emirates ahead of the inaugural edition and will adorn MI’s iconic blue and gold amongst the others.
The conglomerate, in a statement, said that the MI Emirates squad will be based in Abu Dhabi and include a mix of current and past players of MI. The squad will also include new players who join RIL’s OneFamily. RIL-owned MI already runs the Mumbai Indians franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio, said, “I am delighted with our dynamic group of 14 players that will be part of our #Onefamily and represent ‘MI Emirates’. We are glad to have one of our key pillars, Kieron Pollard continue with MI Emirates. Joining us back are Dwayne Bravo, Trent Boult, and Nicholas Pooran.”
Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, West Indies all-rounder duo, will be joined by Nicholas Pooran, current white-ball captain, alongside Trent Boult of New Zealand in MI Emirates’ squad. In addition to this, Will Smeed, who recently became the first ever player to score a century in England’s The Hundred competition, also joined the team.
“A very warm welcome to all players of MI Emirates. MI is known to strike a balance between experience and investing in young talent to unlock their true potential which will help us play the MI way. This is what fans expect from us and will drive the MI ethos forward,” Ambani added.
Here’s the full list of players signed by the MI Emirates: Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Nicholas Pooran (West Indies), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Andre Fletcher (West Indies), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Samit Patel (England), Will Smeed (England), Jordan Thompson (England), Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan), Zahir Khan (Afghanistan), Fazalhaq Farooqui (Afghanistan), Bradley Wheal (Scotland,) Bas De Leede (Netherlands).
The players have been signed as per the league guidelines and the local players from UAE will be added to the squad shortly, RIL added.
Earlier this week, RIL unveiled the name and brand identity of its two new franchises - MI Emirates for the UAE's International League T20, and MI Cape Town for the Cricket South Africa T20 League.
Nita Ambani, Director of Reliance Industries, during the unveiling event, stated, "It gives me great pleasure to welcome 'MI Emirates' & 'MI Cape Town', the newest additions to our #Onefamily.
Mumbai Indians, over the last 15 years, have won seven titles to their name including a record five trophies in IPL and two Champions League T20 titles. Moreover, global brand valuation agency Brand Finance recently accorded an AA+ brand strength rating to RIL-owned Mumbai Indians.
"For us, MI goes beyond cricket. It embodies the ability to dream, be fearless and foster a positive attitude in life. I am sure that both the MI Emirates and MI Cape Town will embrace the same ethos and take MI's global cricket legacy to even greater heights,” she further added.