Published: Oct 01, 2013, 10:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 01, 2013, 10:00 PM (IST)
John Wright said Mumbai Indians would do everything in their power to post a victory against the Perth Scorchers © Getty Images
New Delhi: Oct 1, 2013
Mumbai Indians coach John Wright on Tuesday said the washout match against Otago Volts dented their chances in the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) and hoped the must-win game against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday does not turn out to be their last outing in the Twenty20 tournament.
Mumbai Indians have been left with no other option but to win their last Group ‘A’ game against Scorchers to make the cut for the semi-final.
“We’ve already missed one game, which is proving problematic for us. It’s unfortunate that weather has a bearing on the outcome of the tournament,” said Wright.
“Hope the Delhi weather is fine and we get a game tomorrow [on Wednesday]. We are well supported wherever we go. Hopefully that will be the same,” he added.
Mumbai Indians are currently at the third position with six points in the points table, while Volts are placed second with 10 points with two victories under their belt and an abandoned game from three ties.
Sitting at the top of Group A with 12 points are Rajasthan Royals, who have already made the last-four stage.
The Mumbai side will have to play out of its skins to not just earn full marks to make it 10 points and come at par with Volts but also finish with a good run-rate, so that if the New Zealand outfit lose its next tie against Rajasthan Royals there is a chance for the Indian franchise to make the cut on the basis of a better run average.
Wright said Mumbai would do everything in their power to post a victory against the Scorchers.
“We were all watching the match the other day (Sunday, when Otago beat Lions in the Super Over) and hoping the result goes our way. It’s a situation a lot of us haven’t been in. Let’s hope for the best,” he said.
Talking about the Feroze Shah Kotla pitch, Wright said it looks like a batting wicket from what he has been told by the ground staff.
“They have told me it will be a good batting wicket. We hope so. The last time we were here, it was a beautiful batting wicket. There might be a bit of movement with the weather being the way it is. But that might not be the case also. It’s pretty good batting here generally. That will suit us. We have to bat really well to stand a chance,” he said.
Asked about the poor form of run of Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu, Wright said, “We’ve only played two games. It’s pretty hard in Twenty20.”
Wright said the boys are raring to go against Scorchers.
“It’s a long tournament for the number of games we play. We’ve been together more than three weeks and have just had three games. So we’ve certainly got a lot of energy,” he signed off.
