Strike rate of above 150 and bowling average of 6.69 – these stats in the domestic T20 tournament would have made any team to bid for Tajinder Singh Dhillon, but Mumbai Indians had the most faith in his abilities, and now, this uncapped all-rounder is looking forward to having a fantastic debut season in VIVO IPL 2018. He was watching the auction on the TV with his family when Mumbai Indians made a bid for him and he was confident that it would be Mumbai Indians who’d go for him.

He gained a reputation of a hard-hitting batsman after his outstanding knocks in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and carrying this reputation, he is now happy that he’ll be playing home matches in Mumbai. “I am happy as Mumbai always has bouncy wickets and hence, it’s easier to hit sixes there. In the north, the soil is black on the wickets, so the ball keeps low, but the soil is red in Mumbai and so the ball comes onto the bat nicely. So comparatively, it’s easier to hit sixes there.”

The anticipation to play for Mumbai Indians has certainly made him happy as this was always his favorite team since childhood. “Since childhood, whenever I’ve watched IPL, I always wanted to represent Mumbai Indians because personally for me, it has been one of the best teams.” Apart from that, he felt Mumbai Indians was the only team which would help him grow as a player to his full potential. “I was expecting MI to pick me since they have always supported young talent. The way I’ve performed in the recent past, I was sure that Mumbai Indians will pick me in the auction and that’s what has happened.”

Tajinder is a team player and always places the team’s performance ahead of his own. He is ready to contribute to the team with everything he can. “My expectation from the season is that I can make the most of whatever chances I get, whether it is as a batsman or a bowler or even as a fielder. I just want to perform well for the team. The team has already won IPL thrice and I want to contribute so that MI become the champions for the fourth time.” The scenario and the challenges will be even tougher with the international champion players joining in to play the VIVO IPL. Tajinder will be facing many of them for the first time, but he’s confident that he can make it through because he believes in the coaching staff of Mumbai Indians. Talking about the coaching staff, he said, “All of them are legends (Mahela Jayawardene, Robin Singh and Shane Bond). We can learn massively from these legends. I can improve on my batting working with Mahela Jayawardene, and can work on my fielding with Robin Singh, who has been a great all-rounder. I’ll try and learn a lot from all of them.”

His all-round performances will surely work in his favour if he continues to perform the way he did in the domestic T20 matches. He’s a dedicated cricketer and he will make the most of any opportunity that comes in his way.