It is quite amazing that the 56th and final qualifying match in the Pepsi IPL 2014, will see two sides go head to head, who are battling for the remaining available place in the knockout stages of this season’s tournament.
The Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is sure to be packed to the rafters, as the home side seek to not only beat the Royals, but also inflict a significantly large beating, to allow them to overhaul their visitors on overall run rate.
The Indians have 12 points from their 13 games, and trail the Royals by two points. However, the side from Rajasthan have a much better overall run rate, and know that as long as they perform to a reasonable standard on Sunday, they will take the last qualifying place.
Mumbai went into Friday’s match against Delhi Daredevils knowing that they had to win, if they were to maintain any hope of defending the IPL title that they had won last season. A raucous crowd at the Wankhede Stadium cheered their heroes home, as they completed a 15-run win, against the bottom of the table Daredevils.
After Michael Hussey had given the home side a blistering start, with 56 off of just 33 balls, a late innings collapse saw the home side stumble to 173 all out, leaving the door slightly ajar for Delhi, whose season has so far been one long disappointment.
However, the Mumbai bowlers kept their visitors’ batsmen under strict control, and they managed just 158 for 4, leaving them 15 runs short, and sending the thousands of Mumbai fans in the stands into raptures.
Mumbai seem capable of beating the Royals, who later in the day came up short against the Kings XI, despite more heroics from James Faulkner, but whether they inflict the size of defeat they need, appears unlikely.