IPL news: Tymal Mills happy to make a low-key return
Tymal Mills has been bought at two Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions in contrasting circumstances.
After his high profile acquisition by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mills was happy to fly under the radar but still make his return to the world’s richest T20 league.
Enjoying downtime with friends Mills, was out and about when he went up for auction and says he wasn’t nervous about going unsold.
Mills had been contacted by Mahela Jayawardene of the Mumbai Indians to sound him out for a move and check on his fitness.
His performances in England colours certainly enhanced his reputation even if injury is always a concern for a fast bowler.
“I knew that they were interested,” Mills told ESPN Cricinfo.
“Mahela [Jayawardene, Mumbai’s head coach] sent me a text saying that they were nominating me as part of the accelerated process, and checking in to make sure I was fit and well. That settled the nerves a little bit but you never know, do you?
“I was a bit nervous watching it unfold, so it was obviously nice to get that first bid in and then you’re waiting to see where you’re going to end up.
“It’s great to be back with Mahela, and obviously Mumbai are a storied franchise. Everyone that’s played for them speaks really highly of how they look after their players so I can’t wait to get out there.”
Mills says that while he would have liked a bigger contract, he set his base price relatively low in the hopes of guaranteeing that he would be picked up.
“I went for a lot of money back then and ultimately didn’t live up to that,” he said.
“I suffered a bit of an injury and I wasn’t able to have a real good go at it.
“I’ve been desperate to go back ever since and haven’t had any chances come my way, but I’ve had a really good last eight or ten months and managed to string a lot of games together. Hopefully, I can have a better go of it this time around.
“You never want to go for less money – anyone that says they do is probably lying – but I set a relatively low base price [INR 1 crore/£ 100,000] because I just want to get out there and play, really.
“I wanted to set myself a price where I was a bit more attractive and I’m not too worried about the money side of it: if you do well and you’re part of a successful team, that takes care of itself.”