Both Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab are in a must-win situation as they face each other in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Centurion Park here Tuesday.
The two teams have to win all their four remaining matches if they want to make the semi-finals. But Mumbai Indians will also be looking to avenge their three-run loss to Kings XI Punjab in their previous encounter April 29.
Both the teams have come back to their winning ways after having lost their past few matches.
Mumbai Indians comprehensively defeated Bangalore Royal Challengers Sunday and will be hoping to carry forward the winning momentum.
South African Jean Paul Duminy, the Man of the Match against Royal Challengers, said that Mumbai Indians will be looking for a win against Kings XI.
“It has been a good experience so far. But there are few more games that we need to win now. Hopefully, we can carry forward this winning momentum to the coming matches. I am happy that I contributed to my team’s cause,” said Duminy.
Mumbai Indian’s chief mentor Shaun Pollock said that the team is planning to take each game at a time.
“We know that if we don’t win all the matches then we will be out of the tournament. Our future is in our hands. We have to play matches against top five teams of the tournament. We would like to take each game at a time. At some stage in the tournament every team faces such situations,” said Pollock.
Mumbai Indians are one of the most balanced side in the IPL. With greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in their batting line-up, they also have Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga in the bowling department. Zaheer, who missed the last match, is expected to be back in the side.
Kings XI Punjab also have a good batting line-up but their bowling and fielding hasn’t been up to the mark. The return of Australian speedster Brett Lee has, however, bolstered their bowling attack.
Lee, who is making a comeback from an injury lay-off, was the best Kings XI bowler in their win against Deccan Chargers Saturday. He also wielded the bat sensibly to take his team to a win with one ball to spare.
Kings XI coach Tom Moody said: “The competition’s particularly close. We obviously welcomed back Brett Lee; he made us a little more potent at the top with some pace. And he also showed his skills down the order to be able to finish the game (with a victory). His energy in the game was important.”
Moody, however, is not happy with the quality of cricket his team has played so far in the league.
“We haven’t played particularly played good cricket so far. And we look forward to improving every game we play,” he said.
The coach is worried about his bowlers’ inability to deliver in the death overs.
“So that’s something we need to address seriously. It is a good time for players to reflect and work on the areas that we need to polish up on,” Moody maintained.
[the article was originally published at http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/kings-xi-mumbai-indians-in-a-must-win-situation-preview_100191066.html]
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