Mumbai Indians gun for revenge

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Staring down the barrel after a string of losses, hosts Pune Warriors India will need to find their magic spark once again when they face neighbours Mumbai Indians at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium here on Thursday.

The Sourav Ganguly-led side, despite the skipper’s tactical acumen and the ability to inspire – have slumped to six defeats in 10 games and face an uphill task to win most of their next six games to remain in contention.

The hosts still have four games at home and need a victory desperately to get the momentum back.
On the other hand, the third-placed Mumbai Indians, despite an inconsistent show, have managed to hang in the top half and a victory against seventh-placed Pune will be a huge boost.

The Harbhajan Singh-led team registered a five-wicket victory in their last game against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai. They arrived here on Monday and have had lengthy practice sessions.

The visitors have tried multiple openers in Richard Levi, Adrian Blizzard, James Franklin, Davy Jacobs, Ambati Rayudu and T Suman besides Sachin Tendulkar and will need to find a right combination.
The Warriors are in a similar boat having struggled to keep up with the high asking rate.

The Warriors have been boosted by the arrival of Michael Clarke but need a big hitter to bat higher up the order.

All-rounder Steven Smith has been brilliant with the willow and can fit in the role considering Marlon Samuels can fire away in the death overs.

Mumbai will once again miss the services of Kieron Pollard, who suffered a shoulder injury against the Delhi Daredevils. Lasith Malinga, who returned back from Sri Lanka after nursing a back injury, showed top form claiming four wickets for just 16 runs in the previous game against the Chargers.

Not only is he the second highest wicket taker with 15 from six games but also has the best economy rate of 5.06 in the tournament.

As in the past, the Lankan will hold key to Mumbai’s success but the visitors will have revenge on their minds as they had lost to the Warriors at home.