"Koi nahi lega toh hum le lenge" - Robin Minz's father shares details of his conversation with MS Dhoni ahead of IPL 2024 auction
Robin Minz, a swashbuckling keeper-batter from Jharkhand, was signed by the Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹3.60 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction in Dubai. Apart from Gujarat, the uncapped Indian player attracted bids from the Mumbai Indians (MI), the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Robin's father, Francis Xavier Minz, is a retired Army man who works in the security department at the Ranchi airport. He recently revealed that when he met MS Dhoni at the airport, the CSK captain assured him that if no teams buy Robin at the auction, Chennai will surely bid for him.
During a conversation with The Indian Express, Francis Xavier said:
"I had met Dhoni at the airport recently. He told me Francisji koi nahi lega toh hum le lenge (If no one picks him, we will)."
MS Dhoni kept his word, as the Chennai-based franchise went up till ₹1.20 crore in the bidding war. However, they couldn't go higher as they had already exhausted their purse.
Recalling the moment when Robin bagged a lucrative contract from Gujarat, Francis Xavier added:
"A CISF jawan came to me, hugged me saying, ‘Arrey Francis sir, aap toh crorepati ban gaye’ (You have become a millionaire)."
Robin Minz became the first-ever tribal cricketer to be a part of IPL. While the 21-year-old is yet to make his professional cricket debut, he has made a name for himself with his whirlwind knocks in local T20 tournaments.
"Achha khelte ho, tik ke khelo" - Robin Minz's coach on MS Dhoni's message to the youngster
During the same interview, Robin Minz's batting coach, Asif Haque, also revealed how MS Dhoni advised the young left-handed batter to not throw his wicket away after a couple of sixes.
Recalling what Dhoni told Robin during a camp at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi, Asif said:
"Achha khelte ho, tik ke khelo (You are a good player, but spend time at the crease). Don’t throw your wicket, try and take a single after hitting a six, don’t try and hit six sixes in one over."
Speaking about Robin's playing style, Asif mentioned that they have named him 'Ranchi ka Gayle.' He added:
"We call him Ranchi ka Gayle. He is left-handed, well-built, and hits big sixes. A new-age cricketer, who loves to take on the bowlers from ball one, believes in batting at a strike rate of 200."