LUCKNOW, Aug. 20 -- Mark Daniel Bott happens to be the only official outsider in the UPTwenty20 League as he comes from England but not as a player, but as a mental skill coach on the rolls of the defending champions and one of the most successful teams, Meerut Mavericks. MM finished runners-up in the first season in 2023 after losing in a thrilling final, but as soon as Bott joined the side in 2024, they emerged champions in the second edition in 2024, and have begun with a bang in the third season with a thumping 86-run win over Kanpur Superstars in the opener of the cash-rich league on Sunday. So why is Bott so important for the team? Because he has solutions to every player's problem. Be it batting, bowling or even fielding, he helps you cross over all hurdles and makes you smile even if you are going through a bad patch, and above all he enjoys helping cricketers 24x7. MM's chief coach, Utkarsh Chandra, admired Bott's deep involvement with the players, especially in making them a confident lot throughout the season. "I know his style of working and he brought a sudden change in the players mentality in the second season when we won the title for the first time," said Chandra. "Bott's personality and his techniques to deal with every player in the side has made a lot of difference in player performance and I am happy to have him as part of the team," he added. Chatting with Hindustan Times on Tuesday, Bott said, "Currently, my job is to enable players to be present in the moment as I know that while playing, how much pressure they feel. So, what's really important for the players is to be present, to be in the moment and also to help them free themselves from that pressure and expectation they have. "Even before landing in India to join the Meerut Mavericks a week before the start of the new season this month, I was in constant touch with everyone in the side through our WhatsApp group and tried solving everyone's problem. "I remain available 24x7 to every cricketer in the Meerut Mavericks team and I am open to listening to their problems, especially related to the game. I even keep watching and talking to the players at the ground during the matches too," said Bott, 39. Bott's love affair with the Meerut Mavericks is quite old and it took real shape in 2023 only after former Ranji Trophy pacer Utkarsh Chandra joined the side as chief coach for UPCA's premier event. Both Bott and Chandra played together in the minor county cricket in England and Bott was the key batter of the Cambridge Marylebone Cricket Club University Cricket Team. "We played cricket together there in England and since then we have been very good friends. I have a lot of respect for Chandra, who has the quality to take everybody along with him and that's the success mantra of Meerut Mavericks where everybody has got a voice and everybody enjoys every moment of happenings both on the field and off it," said Bott, who has worked a mental skill coach with soccer teams in England and South Africa. A native of Nottingham, Bott, who also played cricket for Worcestershire and in South Africa and Australia, first came to India with Cambridge University team at a very young age and played matches in Mumbai. "It was a brilliant experience and it started my love affair with India. You know, the culture is different from where I grew up and the different countries I've been to. Being exposed to different environments, different foods. It was a fantastic time," he said. "I enjoy working with Utkarsh as the foundations he's built as team coach of Mavericks are fantastic. He's brought together a great group of people, which is really key for the foundations.This foundation has enabled us to do great things for Mavericks. So, obviously the first year in Season 1, we had a close call in the final and then we built on that." He also praised the team atmosphere. "It's been a great experience to be involved with the players, who are able to enjoy themselves and have fun and be expressive and working with those players has been really good," he said. Bott also admired the UPT20 League as the launch pad for budding cricketers. "The tournament here is a stepping stone for lots of the players as last year we had two players that really performed well and then went into the IPL mega auction and won contracts. It was excellent for the players, excellent for Mavericks, excellent for the UP League as well."...