Ahmedabad: Jolted by the loss to Rajasthan Royals in their opening match, IPL winners Mumbai Indians face another tricky opponent in in-form qualifiers from New Zealand Otago Volts in their second Group A game of the Champions League Twenty20 here tomorrow.
Mumbai Indians were outsmarted by the enterprising Rajasthan Royals, going down by seven wickets last night in Jaipur. They hardly have any time to sit back an reflect on the loss as they make the trip here to face Otago, a team that impressed immensely in the qualifiers by winning all three of its matches to finish atop the standings.
En route the main draw, Otago defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves and Sri Lankan outfit Kandurata Maroons. The McCullum brothers -- Brendon and Nathan -- have played key roles in the team's success. While skipper and batting mainstay Brendon has shone with the bat, Nathan has turned in decent bowling performances to help the team's cause.
In contrast, Mumbai could not have hoped for a worse start as they lost to Rajasthan despite being a star-studded outfit. Veteran Sachin Tendulkar, playing his last tournament for the Mumbai Indians, showed some spark with a 15-run cameo, which included three fours.
But Mumbai would need more than that from the star batsman. Skipper Rohit Sharma, however, continued to show good form, while Kieron Pollard was also impressive with a 36-ball 47 down the order. However, against Otago, a side that has mostly stifled opposition batting, it would take a lot more than cameos in the middle.
Otago picked up comprehensive wins in the qualifiers but the heavy reliance on Brendon McCullum would be a cause of concern for the team. The side would look for more notbale contributions from opener Neil Broom Hamish Tutherford, who have been decent nonetheless so far.
Teams (from): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Abu Nechim, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rishi Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Pragyan Ojha, Akshar Patel, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Smith, Aditya Tare.Otago Volts: Brendon McCullum (capt), Nicholas Beard, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Mark Craig, Derek de Boorder, Jacob Duffy, James McMillan, James Neesham, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Ryan ten Doeschate, Neil Wagner.