Martin Guptill joined the defending champions as a replacement for the injured Lendl Simmons. Mumbaiindians.com managed to catch up with the explosive Kiwi opener to shed light on his experience of playing in India and the excitement of joining the Mumbai Indians. With an average of 34.73, Guptill is one of the few players who have a T20I century under his belt. He was the leading run scorer for the black caps in the recently concluded ICC world Twenty20 as well. It will be an exciting prospect for the fans to see him in MI colours this season.

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It’s your first IPL, and you are joining the defending champions. How does this feel?

I feel pretty good. I just had my first training and I am looking forward to getting involved soon and hope we can get a win.

There are a lot of Kiwi players in our ranks, like Corey Anderson, Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan. How does it feel to have so many Kiwi players around?

It’s nice having Kiwi guys around. It helps me feel a bit more at home and not so home sick. I get along with all of them. I have played a bit with Corey and Mitch as well. I am just happy to be here with them.

You have been around the world and have played in different leagues. What is the one thing that is different about IPL?

I guess it is that more people watch it and the crowd is pretty amazing here. It is always a great experience when you are playing cricket in India. So I am looking forward to my first experience of the IPL.

MI has a great coaching staff with the likes of Ricky Ponting, Jonty Rhodes & Shane Bond. How great is it to have a coaching staff with so many legends?

It’s pretty special because I grew up watching these guys play against each other and to be able to be coached by them is a special feeling. I will try to learn as much as I can from them.

Wankhede crowd is famous for giving the players nick names. Do you have nick names in your mind?

I guess they can call me Guppy. That’s what my team mates call me.