"He has seen my journey; has been like my elder brother"- Shams Mulani on Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav was one of the first players from the Mumbai Indians (MI) to welcome Shams Mulani to the team, putting up an Instagram story. The left-arm spinner was snapped up by the five-time champions at the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi on December 23.
Both Mulani and Yadav have been an integral part of Mumbai's domestic team across formats and share a great camaraderie. Yadav has made a reputation for himself as someone who believes in comforting his teammates and that's exactly what Mulani felt too.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Shams Mulani opened up about his conversation with Suryakumar Yadav after MI bought him at the IPL 2023 auction. He said:
"Just two minutes after me being sold to MI, Surya Bhai called me up, and congratulated me.
"He has seen my journey as he was there in the team ever since my debut for Mumbai and he is like an elder brother to me, always guiding me. He has called me on dinners to discuss cricket and has always been a huge support."
Shams Mulani on playing for home franchise in MI
Shams Mulani is only the third Mumbai player alongside Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the current MI squad. There are very few examples of players being able to represent their home franchise in the IPL and the spinning all-rounder is ecstatic about the opportunity.
The crowd at the Wankhede Stadium has always been buzzing over the years and has been like the 12th man for MI. Mulani is looking forward to getting a feel of that vibrant atmosphere at IPL 2023. On this, he stated:
"It is an added motivation to play for Mumbai in front of the home crowd. I have played quite a few games at the Wankhede and I know how the pitch plays. So I will try and use it to my advantage and perform to the level that my team expects me too.
"Playing in front of the Wankhede crowd is also going to be very special."
Having played on the Wankhede pitch for quite a while now, IPL 2023 could potentially be a breakout year for Shams Mulani.