A day after his retirement from all forms of cricket, India and Gujarat wicket-keeper batsman, Parthiv Patel has joined IPL’s defending champions Mumbai Indians as Talent Scout. Patel has previously spent three seasons with the franchise as a player and won two IPL titles with them.
Patel first played for India in 2002 at a tender age of 17 years and featured in 65 games for India throughout his career. He started his IPL journey with Chennai Superkings in the inaugural season and became an IPL veteran over the years. He played 139 games in the T20 league for six different franchises.
While commenting on the new role at MI, Parthiv Patel said, “I had enjoyed my cricket playing for Mumbai Indians, those momentous three years with the champion sides remain etched in my memory. It’s time now to turn a new chapter in my life. I am excited, confident, and thankful to the Mumbai Indians management for the opportunity presented to me.”
A job of talent scout at Mumbai Indians is perfect for the former Gujarat captain. Patel is a legend in the Indian domestic setup. He has played close to 400 First-class and List A games and scored over 16000 runs. The former wicketkeeper batsman led his state team to their maiden Ranji title in 2016 with two Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies in 2012 and 2014.
Patel would accompany the elite panel of Talent Scouts at Mumbai Indians, comprising of the former India coach John Wright, Kiran More, Pravin Amre, T.A. Shekhar, and Abey Kuruvilla. The Mumbai-based franchise’s hidden mantra for the IPL success has been their backroom brains.
Akash Ambani, MI owner, said, “I am delighted to have Parthiv joining us. We had the opportunity to pick his cricketing brain during his playing days at Mumbai Indians. I am very confident of his contribution to further enhance our scouting system with the depth of cricketing knowledge he possesses. Parthiv understands our ideology, the DNA of Mumbai Indians, and what we are trying to create at MI.”