IPL: Former India pacer R Vinay Kumar joins Mumbai Indians talent scout team

The Mumbai Indians – who are the reigning IPL champions – made the announcement on Thursday (July 29). Vinay is the latest to enter MI’s talent scout division, which recently saw former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel join its ranks.

The 37-year-old Vinay, a former right-arm medium pacer, played 1 Test match, 31 ODIs and 9 T20s. In a first-class career spanning 17 years, Vinay led Karnataka to two Ranji Trophy titles and was also part of Mumbai Indians’ two winning campaigns, in 2015 and 2017.

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Vinay – a domestic cricket stalwart for Karnataka – announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in February this year. The right-arm quick will work closely with the Mumbai Indians management and coaching staff, said a statement issued by the five-time IPL champions.

“Mumbai Indians is established on strong fundamentals of discovering talent and belief in nurturing youth. I am confident Vinay will add value to our ideology and scouting strength,” said Akash Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians.

Vinay, on his part, said that he was “honoured for this opportunity to associate with Mumbai Indians again.” “Mumbai Indians strives for excellence in every aspect of the game, and scouting talents is undoubtedly their key strength. It’s a new chapter and personally, I reckon it as an opportunity for me to give back to cricket,” added the former speedster, who has 504 first-class wickets from 139 matches.

The second phase of the IPL 2021, is scheduled to begin on September 19 in the UAE, with Mumbai Indians taking on arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians’ side defeated CSK in the first-leg of the league stage in a record run chase in IPL 14.