23 May, Kolkata: They have shown remarkable fighting spirit despite the demoralising spot-fixing scandal and the Rajasthan Royals will now look to upstage the mighty Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier here on Friday to book, what would be, a dream final berth in the Pepsi IPL.
On paper, Mumbai Indians may appear stronger but Rajasthan will be high on confidence after their four-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad yesterday.
Friday’s match will determine the Chennai Super Kings’ opponents in the Sunday summit clash at the same venue.
In a shocking last week, the Royals were shaken to the core by the spot-fixing scandal. Just when they needed something special, a 29-ball 54 by Brad Hodge not only boosted their morale of the team but revived the Royals campaign by taking them into the second qualifier.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, are coming here after a 48-run thrashing by Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier. They had been defeated in their last league match as well, suffering a 50-run loss to Kings XI Punjab.
Add to this, a left wrist tendon injury to their senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar which has led to uncertainty over his participation in the knockout match even though the team is hopeful of his recovery.
Unlike Rajasthan, Mumbai Indians are a big-spending side boasting of a star-studded and balanced side. But it is not just about talent as proper application has turned out to be their real problem.
Mumbai Indians had their best run in 2010, finishing runners-up to Chennai Super Kings besides winning the Champions League Twenty20 the next year.
In the ongoing edition, they are still struggling to find a regular pair of openers. Mumbai Indians are yet to get their combination right even after 17 games.
Chasing 193 against CSK in their previous match, Mumbai’s batting crumbled under pressure while their so-called disciplined bowlers leaked too many runs.
PTI
