Facing elimination from Champions League Twenty20 after a loss and a washed-out game, Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach and mentor Shaun Pollock said the team’s fate is no longer in its own hands.
“It’s disappointing for us. The Lions have won two games and the way the schedule has been made, they play before us, which means qualification for the semi-final is out of your hands,” Pollock said after the rained-out match against Yorkshire.
“That’s a bit sad. If they win that game, they’ll have already won three and the Sydney Sixers have won three as well. And even if we win our remaining two games, we’ll have only two and a half. We had to win this game but you can’t control the weather. Unfortunately, ours was not the first game,” he added.
Pollock refuted suggestions that the bowling is too reliant on the pace duo of Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga.
“Dhawal Kulkarni bowled really well in the last IPL game he played, against the Chennai Super Kings; so he’s a fantastic prospect.
“We’ve got Dwayne Smith and Kieron Pollard. We also have Harbhajan (Singh) and Pragyan Ojha, who have played international cricket; and we’ve seen in this tournament before that spinners have played a part. So no, we’re not over-dependent on Johnson and Malinga,” he said.
Pollock also rejected the notion that IPL teams were struggling in the CLT20.
“The Delhi Daredevils have won the one game they’ve played. The Chennai Super Kings haven’t played as well as they’re expected to. We have lost just one match,” he said.
“If you look at KKR, they have been very successful in Kolkata, where their bowling attack suits the wicket, but not here,” he added.