Nothing Here, Just Pikachu At Mumbai Indians Practice Session

Mumbai Indians collaborated with the famous Japanese anime series, Pokemon, ahead of the commencement of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Thanks to the alliance, the franchise announced that fans would be able to meet and greet Pikachu, arguably the most popular Pokemon, at the Wankhede Stadium during the team’s seven home matches of the season. It was said that a booth would be set up at the west block of the venue where Pikachu would be present 90 minutes before every game.

Mumbai Indians recently dropped a video on Instagram where Pikachu could be seen attending a practice session at Wankhede. Some members of the Mumbai-based side were busy in training when they spotted a “Wild Pikachu” appearing on the sidelines of the ground. The players evidently got excited as they went straight to the Pokemon to interact with it.

One of them welcomed Pikachu to the iconic stadium, saying, “Hey, Pikachu. Welcome to the Wankhede Stadium. Would I like to watch us practice cricket?” The question delighted the electric-type Pokemon, which responded in its own, fictional language, “Pika Pika.”

Pokemon is a series that remains close to the hearts of many 90s kids. Despite being created in Japan, the anime franchise didn’t take much time in developing a fanbase in other parts of the world. This partnership with an IPL team like Mumbai Indians will certainly increase its popularity among Indian audiences.

Speaking about Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions have failed to match the expectations of the fans in this IPL season. In their 12 appearances so far, the Hardik Pandya-led side have managed only four victories. They are currently reeling at the second-last spot in the points table and are practically out of the playoff race.

After enduring four defeats in a row, Mumbai Indians could upset an in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last IPL game at Wankhede. An exceptional bowling performance from Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla helped the hosts restrict SRH to 173 runs in the first innings.

Mumbai Indians lost a few early wickets during the chase but Suryakumar Yadav turned out to be the savior for them. The Indian middle-order batter slammed his second IPL century, registering an unbeaten 102 off 51 balls. Powered by his blistering show, Mumbai gunned down the target in 17.2 overs.