Mumbai/Mohali: Awarded Man of the Match for his 27-ball 53 against Rajasthan Royals, Ambati Rayudu said he was happy that Mumbai Indians ended on a winning note following a scare from Royals batsman Sanju Samson in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Put in to bat, the home side piled on a challenging 187/5 in 20 overs here on Friday. In reply, despite Samson’s 76 off 46 balls, Royals fell short by eight runs.
“Definitely the wicket of Samson was the turning point. He played a brilliant innings. I am sure he will go a long way. Happy that we have ended on the winning side,” Rayudu said.
The right-handed batsman said he was happy with the way he was middling the ball, adding that he would aim to deliver more of such innings in games to come. Mumbai Indians (MI) will now take on Kings XI Punjab in a bottom of the table clash in Mohali on Sunday.
“I have been shaping up to improve my batting for quite some time, not just for IPL. I am happy with the way I am batting and middling the ball now. I hope I would deliver more of such innings for Mumbai in games to come,” Rayudu said.
“It took me a little while to get my shape and swing going. I am happy I could spend time in the middle and hit some big shots towards the end of the innings.”
With just three wins from eight matches, Mumbai must ensure they hold on to the winning momentum if they want to qualify for the play-offs.
“Our play-off has already started. We are treating each game as such. Trying to go the extra step and perform well,” said Rayudu.
Going into Sunday’s game, the visitors are seventh whereas Kings XI are bottom placed in the standings with six and four points, respectively, from the eight matches each side have played so far.
For last year’s finalists, it has not been a pleasant ride with their batting failing more often than not. In the last game against Delhi Daredevils at Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday, Kings XI managed only 118/8 in their 20 overs. The Daredevils eased past the total with nine wickets and 37 balls to spare.
A head-to-head battle suggests Kings XI are slightly ahead, having won eight of the 15 encounters. Therefore, the home team will have their hopes pinned on their big guns firing on Sunday at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here.
However, it remains to be seen if they bring back their Australian duo - Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson - hoping for a spark of genius that has been missing from their game so far this season.
