Most of our players had played a lot of cricket and hence we decided to rest them against Kolkata Knight Riders, said Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here on Tuesday.
Mumbai Indians, which finished on top of the league table with 20 points, rested Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga for its final league game against Knight Riders. In fact, the players did not even travel to Kolkata and instead trained at the Bandra Kurla Complex here.
Needed a break
“We needed our main players to get a break. But this (semifinal) is a one-off game and we really need to play good consistent cricket. We have our plans for the game. We have won batting first and while chasing. Most of the teams are well equipped to chase as well as bat first.
“Most teams are better prepared than the past two years. Once you get into the semifinals, it's anybody's game.
“That's why a team has to be at its best in the semifinals. At the end of the day, you should do well in areas you are capable of. You cannot go outside your zone. We will play based on our plans against Royal Challengers,” said Robin.
