Mumbai, Oct 8 (IANS) Newly appointed Mumbai Indians head coach Luke Williams expressed his delight at getting an opportunity to be a part of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchise, adding that he was excited to work with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, after having admired her from afar.
“Obviously, I’ve had the pleasure of coaching against Harman in several leagues all over the world and have seen her fabulous talent and brilliant captaincy and leadership qualities and have been able to admire her from afar. So I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to work with Harman and work together to really get the best out of the team for this season,” said Williams in a video on the franchise’s YouTube channel on Thursday.
He had coached Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a WPL 2024 triumph, and Williams said he was thrilled to get a chance to be a coach in the competition again.
“I was absolutely delighted when I found out that I was going to be offered the position. To be part of such a prestigious franchise is an absolute honour. Obviously, the WPL team has already achieved so much, having won the competition twice, and I’m just so thrilled to be able to get started and meet the playing and support staff to get going.
“MI is playing an exciting brand of cricket. Quite intimidating as a team with a fantastic fan base as well as players who can take the game away from you very, very quickly. So again, that’s the style of cricket that we want to play: to be able to put pressure on the opposition and to never give up.
“The MI side are going to play a relentless and aggressive style of cricket, and we will definitely continue that this year, which is one of the most exciting things about taking on this role,” he added.
Commenting on preparations for the upcoming season, with the auction happening in Kochi on October 28, Williams stated that he does not think there needs to be a complete overhaul of the squad considering the depth and balance that MI possess in all departments.
“That’s one of the most exciting things about being able to come into this particular team is that it has such a strong core. So I don’t think that there needs to be a huge amount of changes necessarily. Obviously, we’re looking at the finer details and making sure that we get the balance right for different conditions that we might come up against.
“But at the moment I think the squad that we have got is a really good combination of players with the right mix of batting and bowling and seam and spin. Having been here before and also played in the WPL and seen the game grow, the passion of the fans is absolutely phenomenal. So it’s a really special time to be a part of Mumbai Indians,” added Williams.
He further pointed out that Indian women’s cricket is going through an exciting phase and wants MI to be at the forefront of it all by continuing to play fearless and entertaining cricket.
“I think that the Indian team is playing some really special cricket at the moment and obviously have had so much success on the international stage. The future for both WPL and Indian cricket is incredibly bright.
“So we want Mumbai Indians to lead the way in terms of being fearless and taking the game on and playing a brand of cricket that is entertaining for the supporters and something that our fans can be really excited about and proud of,” he said.
Speaking about his own strengths as a coach, Williams credited his ability to communicate effectively with his players and staff as his main strength. “I think obviously the ability to stay calm is always a good quality. As a coach, being able to communicate with different people, players, and staff.
“I probably take a bit of pride in my communication with people and making sure that they understand the demands clearly and that they feel empowered to do their jobs. So I think that’s probably my strength as a coach,” he said.
Williams signed off by saying about the incredible support that MI gets from its fans and said that he looks forward to seeing them at the matches when WPL 2027 happens from January 14 to February 7.
“I can’t wait to see you all at the games because, as you said, you are simply the heart and soul of the franchise. So it’s really exciting to meet everyone and see that fantastic support and know that it plays such a big part in the team’s success for the coming season and in the future ahead,” said Williams.
–IANS
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