Mumbai, May 20 (IANS) Five-time champions Mumbai Indians are caught between a rock and a hard spot as they go into their final preliminary league match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium, here on Sunday afternoon.
Mumbai Indians are hoping to make it to the Playoffs after a gap of two years and their fortunes will not only depend on them winning the must-win league match with bottom-dwellers Sunrisers Hyderabad but also on the result of the day’s next match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Going into their last match, Mumbai Indians are on 14 points from 13 games — the same as Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and are in sixth position. They also have an inferior Net Run Rate as compared to RCB and therefore will have a mountain to climb against SRH.
Despite the tough situation that they find themselves in, Mumbai Indians vice-captain and key batsman Suryakumar Yadav says they will treat Sunday’s clash with SRH as any other match.
“It’s just another game for us. We know what we have been doing at the Wankhede in the last four to five games. We know our strengths and we’ll back that.”
Mumbai are facing a situation in which even a win in Sunday’s match may prove insufficient to clinch a Playoffs spot as RCB can upstage them by beating Gujarat Titans in the last match of the first round.
Yadav, however, said they are not thinking of such a scenario. “We don’t prepare for what if we don’t make it. We prepare for a good game. We have been trying for that perfect game and hopefully, it comes good (on Sunday).”
Yadav agreed that the fact that MI will be playing their last match at their fortress — the Wankhede Stadium — will fill the side with confidence on Sunday.
“Absolutely, we have the advantage because having a home game is always better irrespective of the team we play against. This is our last league game and whenever you think about it, you always think it would be better to end the league round with a home game. The support will be good obviously. It will be hot tomorrow but it will be fun,” said Yadav.
Instead of being too fussed about the opposition, Yadav feels the team will like to focus on its own performance. “It is important to focus on ourselves and what’s working for us and stick to that.”
About the possibility of reaching the Playoffs after a gap of two years, Yadav said they are motivated and excited about achieving that feat.
“Motivation is there with the kind of cricket that we have played. At the start, we were late (to pick up) but later on, we picked up. The successful chases that we executed… the feeling is good about the tournament. We are excited about the game tomorrow,” said Yadav in the pre-match press conference here on Saturday.
About MI’s situation in the league going into the final game, Yadav said, “We can just sit and watch today’s (Saturday’s) games and when we come tomorrow (Sunday) we will know what is in our hands and what we have to do going forward. We will be focussing on what we have been doing and not what is happening outside. What is working for us, I think, it is important to stick to that and go ahead with it.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad are placed at the bottom and have nothing to lose in Sunday’s match. But Yadav said MI could also be dangerous in such a situation.
“I feel they have been playing some good cricket in the last few games. We have the advantage because it’s a home game and we have won one game against them this year. And that’s it. Any team on a given day can be dangerous. Tomorrow even we can be dangerous,” he added.
–IANS
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