South African veteran all-rounder Jean-Paul Duminy was once again picked by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) and he has expressed his delight with his selection at the players’ auction. The Cape Cobras skipper pulled out of the 2017 IPL edition due to a long summer of the Proteas and to ensure that he was mentally ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the Proteas tour of England.
However, JP has already taken retirement from the longest format of the game last year, which allows more gaps in his schedule. The 33-year-old will also be participating in the Pakistan League in March.
Duminy said he was delighted to join the Mumbai Indians, saying: “They have great owners and a great culture.” Asked about his role and approach, Duminy stated that it all depends on the Indian conditions and what is required from him in the team.
The experienced Duminy has played in 225 T20 matches across the globe with 73 T20I game appearances for the Proteas. He was particularly effective for the Cape Cobras, scoring 416 in the One-Day Cup tournament and 356 runs in the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge last season.
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Duminy first joined the Mumbai Indians in 2009. He has also played for Delhi Daredevils. However, the Mumbai franchise already consists of the match-winners like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, but on slower surfaces, the crafty JP could be a crucial cog for MI. His greatest asset apart from being an all-rounder is that he can change his batting gears seamlessly while he remains composed under pressure.
Yet, JP can also produce swashbuckling strokeplay – like he did in the One-day showpiece this season when he left Eddie Leie battered and bruised after hammering 37 runs in one over of brutal boundary bashing.
Pretty chuffed to be back where it all started for my @IPL career @mipaltan thanks @DelhiDaredevils for a great few year forming great friendships. Looking forward to creating some new memories. #Grateful 💪
— JP Duminy (@jpduminy21) January 28, 2018
