‘MI would be a goal of mine’ – Mitchell McClenaghan on potential IPL comeback

Mitchell McClenaghan

Former New Zealand cricketer Mitchell McClenaghan recently came forward to talk of a potential return to five-time IPL (Indian Premier League) champions Mumbai Indians. Currently competing for Manipal Tigers in the ongoing Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023, McClenaghan has quite the experience of competing in the IPL.

Playing for Mumbai Indians between 2015 and 2020, McClenaghan was quite influential for the side, taking 71 wickets in 56 appearances. After being released from the team in 2020, the 37-year-old thanked the franchise and added that it was a see you later, not a goodbye.

Talking of the same, McClenaghan opined that reuniting with Mumbai Indians has been a goal of his, but he is currently going through his coaching courses, and it could be interesting to see whether the 37-year-old will join the star-studded side in a mentorship role in the coming years.

“It’s one of the common things get on Twitter, people asking when I’m coming back, but currently I am going through my coaching courses, trying to learn more about that side of the game because it’s a sport that I enjoy and a sport that I would like to be involved in going forward. So whether that goes locally back home or globally within the T20 circuit, and who knows? I mean, MI would be a goal of mine to reunite with that franchise, for sure,” Mitchell McClenaghan told the Hindustan Times.

I feel really bad for Rohit: McClenaghan

Furthermore, McClenaghan also talked of how bad he feels for Indian skipper Rohit Sharma after he missed out on winning the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023, losing to Australia in the summit clash of the tournament. Highlighting how dedicated Rohit is to big competitions, McClenaghan sympathised with the Indian skipper.

“I feel really bad for Rohit in particular because I know how much preparation he puts into tournaments, and I know this would have been a big trophy for him to tick off. So from that point of view, I do place my heart, I feel, for how he didn’t get the result that he would have wanted and what he probably deserved with how he has turned Indian cricket around in the last couple of years,” McClenaghan said.