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The Indian fans might have heard Marco Jansen's name only after he was bought by Mumbai Indians in the auction earlier this year but the reigning champions were reportedly keeping tabs on him for a long time. According to Mumbai Indians' head coach Mahela Jayawardene, the franchise's scouts had monitored Jansen for three years.
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Jayawardene was talking about the team's successful scouting system when he revealed the fact about Jansen. The former Sri Lanka skipper stated that the team's scouting does not just involve 'instant decision-making' and went on to cite how the franchise signed up Jansen after keeping tabs on him for years. In February this year, Mumbai had signed up Jansen at his base price of INR 20 lakh.
"We have a group of individuals who work throughout the year, watching games, spotting players. Not only locally but we do have the same kind of network overseas as well. And it’s not just instant decision-making. Marco Jansen (South African left-arm pacer) is a classic example. We have monitored him for the last three years," Jayawardene told Hindustan Times.
"Then he was a 17-18 year old. We kept monitoring him and picked him the same time he was picked for South Africa (Test squad for Pakistan in January). I don’t think there are secrets to scouting. It’s just pure hard work and finding the right people who have the ability to pick talent. You have to trust their instincts and their hard work needs to be acknowledged. It’s a process. For me, it’s brilliant to have that input coming in, knowing that they are turning each and every stone to find this talent. We monitor them and when we decide we need to invest in them, we go ahead and do that," he added.
Mumbai Indians' scouting system has contributed immensely in their success over the years. No team has managed to win as many IPL titles as Mumbai Indians (5). This year, they are looking to become the first-ever team to win the IPL thrice in a row.