Dubai: Mumbai Indians’ Trent Boult made an immediate impact when he sent down some scorchers on his first day at the nets in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and the New Zealand quickie continued to impress as the defending champions stepped up their preparations the 13th Indian Premier League which starts on Saturday (September 19).
Boult, 31, has previously represented Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkota Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals in the IPL before he was traded to Mumbai before the annual IPL auction in December 2019.
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An experienced campaigner in all forms of the sport, he will be looking add to his tally of 39 wickets in the Twenty20 format in the UAE - judging by the consistent pace which he generated at the Zayed Cricket Stadium nets in Abu Dhabi.
Mumbai Indians have always had a penchant for recruiting top fast bowlers including Sri Lankan star Lasith Malinga – the most successful bowler in IPL history, who unfortunately opted out of this year’s edition of the tournament for personal reasons.
In the absence of Malinga, Boult will share the new ball with fellow New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan, James Pattinson from Australia and Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah. Allrounder Hardik Pandya is a also a handy customer with his cutters.
The defending champions are scheduled to start their title defence against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when they play the opening match of the tournament on Saturday.
