"Suddenly, I began receiving a lot of calls" - Shams Mulani on being picked by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 auction
Shams Mulani is one of the latest additions to the Mumbai Indians (MI) family. He was snapped up by the five-time Indian Premier League champions in the IPL 2023 auction.
Mulani, a left-arm spinner, hasn't made his IPL debut yet, although he was called in as a COVID replacement for Axar Patel by the Delhi Capitals during the 2021 edition. The 25-year-old isn't inexperienced by any stretch of the imagination, but has been a regular for Mumbai across formats in domestic cricket.
Shams Mulani has had a great year though. He was the highest wicket-taker in the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy and also won the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Mumbai.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the all-rounder opened up on his initial reaction after receiving his maiden IPL contract.
"Around 7:00 PM, I put the auctions on my IPad, but it was still on mute and no one was too excited because I had gone unsold in the past few auctions," he said. "So although there was a bit of hope in the family, there wasn't too much excitement. Suddenly, I began receiving a lot of calls and I realized I was picked up by the Mumbai Indians."
Shams Mulani on his family's reaction to him getting picked for MI
Shams Mulani had gone unsold in the previous few auctions, and so his family wasn't too keen about following the IPL 2023 auction. Naturally, it took a bit of time for it to sink in that Mulani was set to play in the IPL for the first time, and that too for the most successful franchise in IPL history.
"Everyone in the house just didn’t know how to react," Mulani said. "It took a bit of time to let it sink in, because it happened for the first time. After 30-45 minutes, everyone realized how huge an opportunity this was for me. Gradually as it sunk in that the most successful franchise in IPL history has picked me up in the auction, everyone was really happy."
This isn't the first time Shams Mulani has been associated with the Mumbai Indians. He was a net bowler with them during their victorious IPL 2020 campaign in the UAE.
The left-arm spinner said that after being on their radar for quite some time, he was excited to finally play for the five-time champions.
"I wasn’t able to attend the latest two trials that the Mumbai Indians had called me for due to personal reasons," Mulani said. "But before that, I have been to each and every trial that they have called me for. They have seen me closely for more than a couple of years now."
"I was in their training camp as well and I also went to Abu Dhabi (IPL 2020) with them as a support player," he added. "I am very grateful that MI have recognized the potential in me that I have been showing in the domestic arena. Feeling very honored to be a part of Mumbai Indians."
It will be interesting to see how Mumbai uses the likes of Shams Mulani and Hrithik Shokeen with the 'Impact Player' rule effective from IPL 2023.