MI’s three newest Ks – Kulwant Khejroliya, Karn Sharma, and Krishnappa Gowtham will join up with the squad ahead of the IPL 2017 season. While curiosity surrounding the new arrivals was at an all-time high, so was enthusiasm. Fans are eager to see their new heroes take to the field and produce the same level of brilliance one associates with us.

As for the players, they found it hard to contain their emotion when it came to being snapped up by MI. Rajasthan local Kulwant Khejroliya is perhaps the least known of the trio. The left-arm quick said he couldn’t watch the IPL auction due to Ranji Trophy commitments. “I wasn’t able to see the auction as I was part of the Ranji Trophy camp,” said the bowler. “After the camp, I was part of a match & I was fielding at the boundary. Someone from the club came and informed me that I was bought by the Mumbai Indians and I’m very happy with my selection.” As are we, Kulwant!

As for his new team-mates, Khejroliya continued, “Mumbai Indians have a strong side and I am looking forward to learning from the star players at the team. They have previously won the title & also give opportunities to the youngsters so I am eager to join the squad and start training.”

When asked about his favourite players, Khejroliya was quick to respond, “Mitchell Johnson & Lasith Malinga are my favorite players and I will get to learn a lot from them. I want to learn how to bowl a proper bouncer from Mitchell and also improve my yorker and slower delivery with the help of Malinga as these are some of the important type of deliveries that one needs to know in the T20 format.”
An eager learner with the right attitude, Khejroliya could very well turn out to be the revelation of the season, and while he is relatively unknown, he’ll want to announce himself during India’s greatest T20 carnival.

From an unknown, to a player who has been around the IPL circuit for a while now, Karn Sharma was purchased by us for INR 3.2 Cr. The all-rounder quickly expressed his gratitude towards his new side, “Firstly, I would like to thank Mumbai Indians for showing confidence in me. I’m very excited to be a part of MI and I will try my best to win games for MI.’’

The 29-year-old spinner also lavished praise on his new captain, ‘’One batsman in Mumbai Indians that I would like to bowl is Rohit Sharma because he plays spin well, and he’s also capable of pulling shots anywhere.’’

Fans will be waiting with bated breath at the tasty prospect of Karn linking up with off-spinning legend Harbhajan Singh. “I’m excited to play with Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma and all the other players. It will be a great learning experience for me to play with Mumbai Indians and all the international cricketers.” We’re looking forward to seeing you alongside Bhajji too, Karn!

Signed for INR 2 Cr, Krishnappa Gowtham raised a few eyebrows with his impressive Ranji Trophy outing. “I’m very excited to be a part of Mumbai Indians,’’ said the 28-year-old. “I want to thank the Mumbai Indians franchisee who had faith in me and picked me. I’m very excited to be a part of it as I’ll be sharing dressing room with a lot of legends in the team like Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma and many more.”

Gowtham was also quick to share his excitement ahead of the new season, “I’m really looking forward to this season. The expectation for this season is that I want to give my 100% and give whatever best I can for the team even if I’m playing or not, doesn’t matter. I’ll go out there and execute whatever role is given to me. Lot of things to learn – mentally and physically.’’

“It’s my first year in IPL and I will look at how I can improve my game and raise the bar. I haven’t gotten much opportunity to interact with any of the support staff apart from Rahul Sanghvi sir and Mahela Jayawardene, but I had a chance to interact with Mahela Jayawardene after the Mumbai Indians trials.” Just the kind of fervor we love to see, Gowtham.

Now with the three Ks bought at the IPL auction, who are you looking forward to seeing the most?