While the diminutive right-handed batsman has developed the reputation of being Mumbai's crisis man in first-class cricket, Lad's IPL journey hasn't quite panned out as he would have liked due to a lack of opportunities
Siddhesh Lad
The ringtone of Siddhesh Lad's mobile phone hasn't changed in years — the title track of Bollywood movie, Lakshya. It's his way of staying motivated to achieve his goals.
While the diminutive right-handed batsman has developed the reputation of being Mumbai's crisis man in first-class cricket, Lad's IPL journey hasn't quite panned out as he would have liked due to a lack of opportunities.
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First bought by Mumbai Indians in 2015, Lad eventually got a game last season when he replaced injured skipper Rohit Sharma. Starting off with a six, he scored 15 against Kings XI Punjab. After that, he was back on the bench.
Mumbai Indians traded him with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday and Lad is hopeful of achieving his IPL goals with the new team. "I am thankful to Mumbai Indians where I learnt a lot despite being on the bench. However, I wanted to experience playing in the IPL. I am really looking forward to be a part of the KKR set up. My sole aim is to win games. I don't want to show the world that this is what I deserved. That's not my thought process. MI has been a great learning experience," Lad told mid-day.
Lad and the MI management had a discussion about his prospects of getting regular matches in the forthcoming season before arriving at the decision to leave the team. "I always wanted to play for Mumbai Indians. Mumbai is my first love, but I also had to think of the IPL experience," he said.
Lad is excited to join KKR, especially since his guide — ex-Mumbai teammate Abhishek Nayar — is the team's mentor. "He knows my game inside out; he's always been great support to me. I am sure I will fulfill my goals under his guidance," said Lad.
Players retained and released by MI
Retained: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Anmolpreet Singh, Jayant Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anukul Roy, Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan.
Traded: Dhawal Kulkarni, Sherfane Rutherford, Trent Boult.
Released: Evin Lewis, Adam Milne, Jason Behrendorff, Beuran Hendricks, Ben Cutting, Yuvraj Singh, Mayank Markande, Barinder Sran, Rasikh Salam, Pankaj Jaswal, Siddhesh Lad, Alzarri Joseph.
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