Rajneesh Gurbani has been the talk in India cricket circles after an amazing performance in the final few matches of the Ranji season for Vidarbha. It was his stupendous feat that helped his team win the Ranji Trophy on Monday.
His splendid show did not go unnoticed: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians have called him for trials. It was just few days earlier that former CSK pacer L Balaji said Gurbani would be on the radar of some IPL teams.
Gurbani, as the competition moved into the clinical phase, proved his class with some wonderful bowling spells. He also picked up a hat-trick in the final against Delhi, showing his composure while playing such big matches. Overall, he picked up 39 wickets in Ranji Trophy 2017, including an eight-wicket haul in the final.
No wonder, then, that Mumbai Indians are interested in him and Gurbani also confirmed the invitation from the franchise.
"Yes, I have been called for the trials in Mumbai. Let's see how it goes." Sportstar quoted Gurbani as saying.
The three-time champions will have a look at the pacer closely and see if they want him at the auction, and then open doors to avail his services by signing him on January 27-28 in Bengaluru.
Mumbai Indians have been known for picking domestic cricketers and giving them a chance to shine in the competition. The likes of Nitish Rana and Krunal Pandya have been picked by the franchise in the past. It remains to be seen if Gurbani will also be picked by Mumbai later this month.
However, Mumbai Indians have some tough call to make when it comes to IPL 2018, as they can only retain three players ahead of the auction in Bengaluru. As per some reports, Rohit Sharma and the Pandya brothers (Hardik and Krunal) are set to be retained by the franchise.
