The Wankhede wicket is supposed to be friend for Mumbai Indians, but at times the pitch has turned foe. Twice in DLF IPL-V home matches so far, the host did not have the resources to exploit a lively track in low-scoring games, losing to Pune Warriors India and Delhi Daredevils.
Sunday's match in blazing sunlight against Kings XI Punjab will be MI's fourth in front of home fans. The wicket's behaviour in a T20 game is not something to lose sleep over, though skipper Harbhajan Singh and the team management need answers for plenty of questions.
Lasith Malinga's absence due to a strained back is one such poser. “He will be back in time for the next,” said Robin Singh, MI coach, apart from the major news of Sachin Tendulkar's availability.
“Sachin is fit enough to play,” said Singh, about the master batsman's recovery from finger injury.
Best playing surface
Harbhajan's described Wankhede in positive terms last week, rating the playing surface as the best wicket in India due to pace, bounce and turn even during the chase under lights.
Mumbai's attack has the variety in the nippy Munaf Patel, Kieren Pollard's clever change of pace and Pragyan Ojha's teasing length.
Malinga's sting though was sorely missed in the last game against Delhi, driving MI into a corner again for the coming games.
Harbhajan's role as the bowler comes into prominence. Batting form is a pointer to his aggressive mindset and adaptability, if only the MI captain can extend batting confidence to his bowling, he can be counted among the match-winners in this format.
The feisty off-spinner is a big-match player and known to perform under pressure. MI would expect Harbhajan to lead the attack as well as anchor the batting.
MI's faith in hard-hitting foreigners like Richard Levi, whose ability in handling spinners remains suspect, hurt the batting. Batting in Tendulkar's company may curb reckless shots in others.
Canny leg-spinner
Kings XI have a canny leg-spinner in Piyush Chawla waiting in ambush for trigger-happy batsmen. Swing bowler Praveen Kumar's ability to frustrate strokemakers and all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas' T20 experience marks him out as a dangerous opponent.
The Punjab visitors are adjusting to David Hussey's captaincy and possess the bowling talent to match MI in case the chosen surface is a sporting one.
Kings XI's batsmen are still to fire, leaving a side of underachievers stranded low down the table.
