Mumbai Indians is firmly back in contention for the IPL 2021 playoffs, following Tuesday's eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals. As it plays its final game on Friday, it will have a clear view of what it needs to do.
Defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) was back with a bang, drubbing former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) by eight wickets in Match 51 of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. As a result, it has risen to the fifth spot, with a much-improved run rate, while it is now in strong contention to qualify for the playoffs.
However, MI would still have a task in its final game against former champion Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). It still needs to win by a considerable margin to topple the fourth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
But, MI skipper Rohit Sharma is confident of his side pulling off what it needs to take to qualify for the playoffs. Also, with MI playing its final game on the day of the league game (Friday), he feels that the side would have a fair idea of what needs to be done.
"All eight teams are capable of beating each other. But, the good thing is that KKR play before us, so we will know what to do. We had to come here and do what we had to do, which was to get the two points. It was a chance to improve our run rate as well. We got off to a flier, and we said there is a chance for us to up the run rate. It was the perfect game for us to do that," he said during the post-match presentation.
He also praised wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan for bouncing back to form with a half-century. Besides, he also praised the sublime bowling attack, especially its pacers, for restricting RR to a paltry total.
"Kishan is playing after a couple of games, so we wanted him to take his time. I didn't say anything to him. All we wanted for him was to play his shots, which he did. When you are under the radar, it is important to do your job," he added.
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"We have been doing well and preparing well. All the bowlers came together and used the conditions well," he concluded.