New Delhi: India pacer Deepak Chahar said that he will miss playing with legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni after being signed by Mumbai Indians for Rs 9.25 crore in the IPL 2025 Auction on Monday.
The 32-year-old is looking forward to contributing to his new franchise and winning titles with them. Sharing his thoughts on joining MI, Chahar acknowledged the team’s dominance of winning five IPL titles and termed them a great side.
“I’m quite happy. I had hoped to continue with CSK, but no regrets. Now, I’ll be playing for another great franchise which has won 5 IPL trophies. I’ll obviously miss playing with MS Dhoni. Mumbai Indians is a great franchise, so I’m really looking forward to playing for them,” Chahr said on JioCinema.
Chahar, who has been associated with CSK since 2018, shared his thoughts on the upcoming IPL season which he sees as a platform to earn his place back in the national team. The pacer emphasised playing the entire season for the franchise to prove his fitness which has been an issue with him in the recent past.
“After the last IPL season, I went to UK for training. I was training with a big football club there. Then, I came back and played five Ranji Trophy matches, bowling about 150 overs. Now, I’m playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So, I’ve been playing cricket regularly since the past six months, and I’ve been training well. My main goal is to play for India again, so I need to play all the 14 matches, play at my full potential, and then hopefully I can make a comeback for team India. This is going to be a very important season for me,” he said.
“The MI team for this season looks strong. They have always been a dominating side in the history of IPL, and they’ve won 5 seasons for obvious reasons. I’m happy to be a part of this team and hoping to win more trophies in the coming seasons. Also, I’m hoping to get the opportunity to bat as well, because that is something I didn’t get much to do at CSK. So, I’ll definitely look to give my best with bat and ball,” Chahar added.
On bowling in the death overs, the pacer said, “As a bowler, I like to take up challenges and perform to the best of my ability. At CSK, I had my roles, and now at MI, I will have different roles, but I’m ready for it. I hope to do well with both bat and ball, and contribute to MI’s win. Wankhede has a seaming track, and in my past performances I’ve done well there. So, I’ll be looking to continue doing well for my team.”
(IANS)
