Sangakkara's men will be charged up to settle scores against Mumbai Indians today
Deccan Chargers finally opened their win account on Thursday against Pune Warriors India. No doubt, they want to keep the momentum going and also avenge their home loss when they take on inconsistent Mumbai Indians in the return leg at the Wankhede Stadium in the Indian Premier League fifth edition on Sunday.
Deccan Chargers skipper Kumar Sangakkara plays a shot during a practice session at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
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Deccan were done in by Rohit Sharma’s towering last-ball six in the final over to successfully chase down the 139-run target with a thrilling five-wicket win at Vizag on April 9.
It is also the best time to take revenge with nothing going skipper Harbhajan Singh’s way. Mumbai Indians’ form has dipped after a magnificent victory against Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener.
Cameron White dives during a practice session on Saturday. Pics/Suresh KK
Nevertheless, Deccan Chargers skipper Kumar Sangakkara is upbeat about the contest. “Probably (it is the best time to beat them), but we know how good a side Mumbai is. We beat Pune and hope to keep the momentum going. In T20, it is just about playing the best cricket on the day.
“We came close to beating Mumbai in our first game (at Vizag) which we probably should have won. They needed 19 in the last over and Rohit was brilliant in that over. If we get them into such positions, we have to be tighter and bit more disciplined to win the game,” said Sangakkara ahead of their practice session at the Churchgate venue on Saturday.
Luck is an excuse
Experts reckon that Deccan have been unlucky because on most occasions they have put up a tough contest before going down. However, Sangakkara said luck is just an excuse. “Unlucky is a bit of an excuse all the time. We probably need to be a bit more on the ball.
“I think we played very good cricket so far, but lost out on crucial moments of the game. It may be a little error on the field or falling 10 runs short. We had four winning opportunities, three of which we should have closed out — Mumbai (Indians), Rajasthan (Royals) and Delhi (Daredevils). But those mistakes cost us games. We train very hard, we play very well, but sometimes the intensity and the pressure forces us to make mistakes. We are trying to be calm on the field and ensure keep getting into the winning positions,” said the former Sri Lankan skipper.
Johnson out of IPL-V
Meanwhile, there was more bad news for Mumbai camp after Mitchell Johnson was ruled out from the IPL failing to recover from the foot injury sustained in November.
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