IPL franchise Mumbai Indians have signed up household durables firm Usha International as their official partners for an undisclosed amount, for the ongoing season 7 of the T20 League.
Four MI players - including captain Rohit Sharma and overseas signings Kieron Pollard and Mike Hussey - were present during the announcement of the sponsorship last night and interacted with the dealers of Usha.
Sharma, Pollard, Hussey and young medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah asked a few MI trivia to the audience and awarded prizes for the correct answers too, besides posing for photographs with the winners.
They also answered a few questions thrown at them.
Sharma, while answering a question about why he did not open the batting in IPL for MI as he does for India in ODIs, explained the differences in the two situations.
"For India, we have a settled batting order since the last Champions Trophy that we won in England and there I opened the innings (with Shikhar Dhawan of Sunrisers Hyderabad). Here in IPL there are other international players and I have stuck to the no. 4 spot."
He also expressed optimism that MI would win their last two round robin games in the IPL, scheduled today and on Sunday, and qualify for the playoffs as the fourth outfit.
Hussey said all cricketers enjoyed playing in all three formats currently in vogue in the game.
"We as players enjoy playing all three formats (Tests, ODIs and T20s)," he said.
