Meet MI's New Mentor

Skippy Shaun will be back this season in a new avtaar! He will be the Mumbai Indians' new mentor-cum-advisor. He'll be working along with Lalchand Rajput, Jonty Rhodes and the other support staff.

The Mukesh Ambani owned franchisee has offered him a flexible contract. Last year, after Pollock said that he would no longer be playing competitive cricket, his return to the Mumbai outfit was in doubt. "My role has evolved into that of an advisor and a mentor after the management approached me with a flexible offer", said the South African. The new contract is believed to be of a similar amount ($550,000) for which he was originally signed.

Pollock said that he would never consider himself as a coach but said that he would be passing on his skills and knowledge about the game to the MI youngsters. His performance in IPL 2008 speaks for itself. In 13 matches he took 11 wickets with best figures of 3-12 at an average of 13.33 and scored 147 runs at a brisk rate of 132.43.

The South African all-rounder believes that the Mumbai Indians have the raw ingredients to be a highly successful franchise. "Obviously we're aiming to win the tournament" he said.

Pollock was believed to have been kept in the loop by the highest officials of the MI Management. Infact he is said to have been on conference call with the team officials during the Goa IPL Auction this year along with Sachin Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. Pollock is very excited about the new recruits to the team, especially young JP Duminy. He said that a good blend of youth and experience will be of great advantage to the team.

Looking forward to your new role Shaun!