Trent Boult

Left-arm fast bowling has always had a certain point of difference, and Trent Boult turned that into a potent weapon for New Zealand. Boult could make the new ball talk without needing extravagant pace. His accuracy made him one of the most feared new-ball operators of his generation.

Boult made his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in 2011 and gradually established himself as a mainstay of New Zealand's pace attack. His partnership with Tim Southee became one of the defining features of New Zealand's bowling through the 2010s. Boult's biggest impact came on the grandest stages. He played a leading role in New Zealand's run to the 2015 World Cup final, finishing as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets.

Trent was again central to their campaign in 2019, while in Test cricket he formed part of the attack that helped New Zealand win the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021. In 2018, he was rewarded with the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal and New Zealand's Test Player of the Year award after becoming only the sixth New Zealander to reach 200 Test wickets. Boult stepped away from New Zealand's central contract in 2022 to pursue a career in franchise cricket, where he continued to make his mark.

He was instrumental in Mumbai Indians' 2020 IPL triumph, taking 25 wickets and winning Player of the Match in the final. In 2025, while he could not go all the way with Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he tasted success with MI Cape Town in the SA20 and MI New York in the MLC, lifting titles in both competitions. That only solidified his status as a marquee player across the Mumbai Indians' global franchise network. There was never any doubt about his retention by MI for the 2026 IPL season.