MI playing 11 from Nitish Rana's IPL debut in 2016 - where are they now?

Former Mumbai Indians (MI) player Nitish Rana turns 30 today. The Delhi batter started his Indian Premier League (IPL) career with MI in 2016. After helping the side win IPL 2017, he was released by the franchise.

Nitish Rana was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2018 auction for ₹3.40 crore. Although they didn't retain him ahead of the mega auction before IPL 2022, they managed to buy him back for ₹8 crore.

The left-handed batter has amassed 2,594 runs in 105 IPL matches. His breakthrough season came in 2017 with the Mumbai Indians, when he scored 333 runs in 13 games. He also held the Orange Cap for a brief period that season. Since then, he has breached the 300-run mark in all seasons.

Nitish Rana has captained KKR in Shreyas Iyer's absence and has become an integral part of their side. A lot of his development as a cricketer is down to the way MI groomed him in the first two years of his IPL career. The southpaw made his debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 11, 2016.

On that note, let's take a look at the playing XI of the Mumbai Indians from Nitish Rana's IPL debut in 2016.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma (C) and Parthiv Patel (WK)

Rohit Sharma opened the innings with Parthiv Patel in Nitish Rana's debut game. While Rohit scored 25 off 24 balls, Parthiv was dismissed for just one run in the second over of the game.

Rohit is still very much part of the Mumbai Indians. However, he was recently stripped of his captaincy by the five-time IPL champions. He has also become India's all-format captain since Rana's IPL debut.

Meanwhile, Patel was roped in as a Talent Scout for the Mumbai Indians after retiring from all formats of the game in 2020. The wicketkeeper batter is also working as a commentator in IPL as well as international matches.

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Middle-order batters: Ambati Rayudu, Nitish Rana, and Jos Buttler

Ambati Rayudu, Nitish Rana, and Jos Buttler batted at No. 3, 4, and 6, respectively.

Rayudu, who was the linchpin of the Mumbai Indians' batting at the time, scored a cautious 44. Rana scored 9 off 11 deliveries on his debut, and Buttler remained not out on 29 off just 11 balls as MI reached the 152-run target with eight balls left.

Like Nitish Rana, Rayudu was also released by MI following the IPL 2017 triumph. He was bought by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for just ₹2.2 crore in the auction that followed. He was an important part of their title-winning sides in 2018, 2021, and 2023.

The 38-year-old retired from all forms of Indian cricket after IPL 2023. However, he plays franchise cricket for the Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket and for the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League.

Buttler was also released by the Mumbai Indians at the same time. Although they tried buying him back in the IPL 2018 auction, he was finally bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for ₹4.4 crore after a bidding war. He is still playing for them in the IPL and is also the captain of England in limited-over cricket.

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All-rounders: Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, and Harbhajan Singh

Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, two of Mumbai Indians' terrific trio, which also featured Hardik Pandya, played in Rana's IPL debut game. The only regular player missing in the lineup was Hardik, whose absence allowed Nitish Rana to make his debut.

Batting at number five, Pollard scored a match-winning 35 off 19 balls, stitching a 55-run partnership with Buttler to win his side the game. Pollard conceded 22 runs in his only over of the match.

Krunal, meanwhile, was adjudged Man of the Match. He didn't get to bat in Nitish Rana's debut game, but he was impressive with the ball, picking up AB de Villiers' wicket and conceding just 15 runs in his four overs. Harbhajan, who was also somewhat of a bowling all-rounder in the IPL, conceded 19 runs in his three overs.

Pollard retired from the IPL after the 2022 season and has since been serving as MI's Batting Coach. He still continues to play franchise cricket all over the world, for teams like MI Emirates and MI New York. The all-rounder was recently appointed as Assistant Coach of England for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Krunal was a crucial member of MI until the mega auction ahead of IPL 2022. He was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), for whom he has been an important player in the last two seasons. He also captained them in KL Rahul's absence in IPL 2023.

Harbhajan also made the switch to CSK, like Rayudu, after MI released him in 2017. The off-spinner retired from the IPL in 2021 after one season with KKR. He has been working as a commentator and a film actor since then. The 43-year-old is also a member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha.

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Bowlers: Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan, and Jasprit Bumrah

The Mumbai Indians have always opted for a pace unit featuring one Indian and two overseas players. As Lasith Malinga was ruled out of IPL 2016 due to a knee injury, Tim Southee and Mitchell McCleneghan joined Jasprit Bumrah in MI's pace battery.

Southee and McClenaghan picked up one wicket each, for 27 and 35 runs, respectively, in their four overs. Bumrah went wicketless in Nitish Rana's debut match but conceded just 28 runs in his four-over spell.

Southee is still going strong at 35 years of age. He still plays all formats of the game for New Zealand and is captain of the Test side. The right-arm fast-medium bowler has played for RCB and KKR after being let go by MI in 2017.

McClenaghan was a regular wicket-taker for MI from 2015 to 2018. He gave up his New Zealand contract in 2017 to focus on overseas T20 leagues. The 37-year-old was recently seen in Legends League Cricket, where fans took notice of his change in physique.

Bumrah has stayed with the Mumbai Indians since the start of his career. He has had his fair share of injury issues in the last couple of years, but is back to full fitness now. The 30-year-old is one of the best pacers in world cricket and was missed dearly by MI in the IPL 2023.