"Extra pace is something we wanted, excited to have Ismail on board": Mumbai Indians coach Charlotte Edwards

Mumbai Indians had retained 13 players from the team that became champions in the first Women's Premiere League (WPL) season.

On Saturday, they added five players: Shabnim Ismail, Fatima Jaffer, S Keerthana, Amandeep Kaur and Sajana Sajeevan. While three of the four Indian players were bought at their base price, Mumbai Indians got Shabnim Ismail for Rs 1.2 Crore.Edwards said MI had a few players on the wishlist at the beginning of the day and managed to snag almost all of them.

"We had a list of players that we wanted before the start of this auction and we got most of them. So we are pretty happy," Edwards said in an official statement by MI.

She said that South African pacer Ismail ticked the box of strengthening the squad even further and is a proven performer on the big stage.

"The extra pace is something that we wanted. She is one of those players who brings a lot to the group. I'm really excited about having her on board," Edwards added.

With MI's breakout star from season one Saika Ishaque making the step up to the international level, Edwards said that she passionate about helping more players make the step up to the highest level as that is a key focus for Mumbai Indians.

"Developing players is something that we are very passionate about. One thing that MI do really well is scouting. They are still very young and I hope they can be stars of the future for not just Mumbai Indians but also Indian cricket," Edwards said.

Mentor and bowling coach Jhulan Goswami earmarked Ismail as somebody who could help the team's young Indian pacers.

"Shabnim is the fastest bowler currently in women's cricket. She has vast amounts of experience, we wanted an out-and-out pacer. She is also somebody who can mentor our young crop of fast bowlers like Jintimani Kalita and Pooja Vastrakar, who can learn a lot from her," Goswami said.

Goswami further said that the team had a bit of an X factor in the form of left-arm wrist spinner Amandeep Kaur, the first bowler of that kind to feature in the WPL.

"We have great variety in our bowling attack. Amandeep Kaur is a left arm wrist spinner, which is very unusual in women's cricket. We also have Fatima Jaffer, who had a great season for domestic T20 champions Mumbai," Goswami said.

Goswami felt that the team will not have any additional pressure on account of being the defending champions and will look to stick to the template that worked for them in the opening season.

"Mumbai Indians are known for their fighting spirit, so we will look to fight and play as a team as that is what led us to being champions in the inaugural season," the legendary pacer added. (ANI)