Today’s Match (Q2) : Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (MI vs RCB)
Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians are hoping to make their second consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) final when they face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second qualifier here on Friday.
Mumbai Indians have gained the momentum from their back-to-back wins and they hope it will stand them in good stead Friday and will carry them into Saturday’s IPL final.
The two consecutive wins against Kolkata Knight Riders have boosted their confidence and changed their fortunes. And and a win against Royal Challengers will give them a chance to avenge their last year’s final loss aganist the same Super Kings.
“It’s obviously a knockout game for us. We have done pretty well against Bangalore in the few outings we have had in the past. But this is a fresh game and we have to start from scratch. We have to refocus and regroup because the stakes are really high,” said Mumbai Indians assistant coach Robin Singh.
Bangalore will be banking on hard-hitting West Indies opener Chris Gayle.
The Jamaican has scored 519 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 184 after joining the franchise as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes.
But Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori dismissed suggestions that his side was too depended on Gayle.
“We know Chris has played well and he has been the main scorer for us this season, winning so many games for us. But we have other batsmen like Virat Kohli who have stepped up and performed when needed,” Vettori said. “So if Gayle has an off-day, we are still confident that we can win games.”
Singh, however, feels that Gayle can’t be overlooked.
“You can’t ignore the fact that Gayle is in terrific form. But we have been bowling exceptionally well. You have to back yourself to bowl well against anyone. We have thought about how we want to go about things. We have our own plans ready for what we would like to do,” he said.