The third edition of Mumbai T20 league got underway at the Wankhede Stadium. This year’s Mumbai T20 League is seeing the participation of eight teams. The league provides more structure to the cricket scene in the city and endeavour to build a platform for bringing the future superstars of the sport together.
The teams have scouted and bought several young cricketers to stack their squad with talent. Among the hundreds of players who will be seen in action at the Wankhede Stadium and the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai is Ishan Mulchandani who will be playing for SOBO Mumbai Falcons.
The 25-year-old was born in Singapore and relocated to India at the age of 7. Ishan has been been representing Parsi Gymkhana and Nirlon Sports Club. As Ishan gears up for an exciting season of Mumbai T20, he gave a telephonic interview to The Sportz Planet where he spoke about how he started playing cricket, his role models and the IPL teams he wishes to play for.
Excerpt of the interview is below:
Q: When did you first start playing cricket, and when did you realize you wanted to pursue it professionally?
Ishan: I started playing a bit in school when I was around 12. But it was when I was 15 that I got more serious—I was also playing tennis at the time, but I got picked for the U-16 probables, and that’s when I started giving more of my time to cricket and began thinking about it professionally.
Q: Growing up, who was your hero in cricket—or in any other sport?
Ishan: In cricket, it is definitely Rahul Dravid. I really admired his humble nature, his approach to the game, and the way he could do anything the team needed. His grit and determination, especially in tough conditions, were incredible. He scored runs consistently in the toughest of conditions.
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Q: Have you ever had the chance to meet Rahul Dravid?
Ishan: No, I haven’t met him yet.
Q: You were recently part of the probables for the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare trophies. How did that feel?
Ishan: I remember I was in a car coming back from my practice session when I got the news. I was really happy—it was something I’d been working toward for the past couple of years. But after that initial excitement, I knew it was just the beginning. It gave me more motivation to work harder and hopefully break into the Mumbai team someday.
Q: Now you’re part of the SOBO Mumbai Falcon squad for the Mumbai T20 tournament. How have you prepared for the tournament?
Ishan: Honestly, I treat it like any other cricket match. Of course, it’s a bigger platform and more people are watching, but it’s still just bat and ball. My preparation stays the same—specific practice sessions, working on my shots, and being mentally ready. We’ve also been focusing more on the mental aspect lately, especially with the unpredictable Mumbai weather.
And obviously, like attending team practice sessions and all. It’s been really helpful to like hear from the team members.
Q: Shreyas Iyer is the captain of SOBO Mumbai Falcon. Have you met him already? What are you expecting from him as a leader and as a player during the season?
Ishan: I remember I played one game against him. Which was like his season only. I think it was a practice game at CCI. That’s the first time I’ve played a game against him.
But, I mean like just watching him bat for the IPL. It’s incredible to see. The way he’s gone about things. Just one thing that strikes me about him is how calm he is. That is something I definitely want to learn from him. If I get the chance to like talk to him. I will like to know how he prepares for matches, what he trains like. To learn more from a guy who’s playing like the highest level. And he’s doing extremely well at the highest level.
Q: Kapil Dev is the mentor of your team. How excited are you about that?
Ishan: Yes, we had a meeting with him recently. I mean like he’s a World Cup winning captain. It was amazing to hear from someone who literally put Indian cricket on the map. The main takeaway I got from the meeting with him was that you’ve just got to play the game with passion. That is something that I’m definitely going to think more about. Like enjoy the game and play the game with passion.
Q: What’s your personal preference—Red-ball or White-ball cricket?
Ishan: Personally, I love playing Red-Ball cricket. I look forward to it every year. So, as a batsman, it’s all about just batting long. And I think it’s really challenging because you don’t play on really easy wickets. Like the wickets turn a lot.
Getting a Red-Ball 100 is a lot more satisfying than getting a White-Bull 100. But I think like T20 cricket has lot more viewership than Test cricket so that brings in revenue. But I think like in Bombay, a lot of people love their Red-Ball cricket.
Q: Which IPL team do you like and given a chance which team would you like to play for in the IPL?
Ishan: I like RR(Rajasthan Royals) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). But I like RR players a lot. Like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag and (Dhruv) Jurel. I really enjoy watching them play. Sanju Samson also. I used to watch him play growing up. I think he was only a teenager when he first started playing in the IPL.
I think RCB because of just because of the opportunity to play alongside Virat Kohli. That would be incredible.
Prakhar Sachdeo
The Sportz Planet Desk
