New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians will have to get their act together against the Perth Scorchers Wednesday if they want to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20.
However, the Mumbai team’s fate doesn’t rest on the match alone. They will also be hoping for a Rajasthan Royals victory against the Otago Volts at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur Tuesday. A win for Otago will end Mumbai Indians hope for a place in the last-four.
“We need to play a good game. We missed a match which is why we are in this problematic situation today,” Mumbai Indians head coach John Wright said at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Tuesday.
Mumbai India’s match against Otago in Ahmedabad was washed out due to rain.
If the Rajasthan Royals manage a win against the Volts, the 2011 edition champions will need to drub the Scorchers by a big margin to qualify for the semis.
Former New Zealand skipper Wright, however, appeared pretty confident.
“The Delhi wicket is a good batting surface. We played Chennai Super Kings in the IPL Qualifier 1 so we know it is a good batting track. There might be some movement early on but we have to bat really well and fast,” said the former India coach.
Asked about the unimpressive performances of his batsmen, Wright quipped: “But we have played only two matches. They (Scorchers) are a tough team but we just have to make the most of the opportunities and go out there with the right attitude.”
Perth Scorchers will be looking to regain their pride as the two-time Big Bash League runners-up are fifth and last in the Group A points table with two losses and a no result. The Simon Katich-led side will definitely look to ending the tournament on a winning note.
In the two matches that they have played so far, their batting has let them down. Against the Royals, the batsmen collapsed completely while in the other match against the Volts, the top order could hardly even get off the mark.