Defending champions Mumbai Indians are keen to win their last-round Champions League Twenty20 qualifier against Northern Knights rather than worry about the qualification equation.
All four teams have a chance to qualify but Mumbai and the Knights are better placed to make it to the group stage of the tournament, beginning tomorrow.
Both teams have a much better run-rate than the other two teams – Lahore Lions and Southern Express – and also have the advantage of playing last which will give them a clear picture of what they need to do to qualify.
Mumbai opener Michael Hussey is not willing to be drawn into the equation battle and wants the team to go all out for a win.
“It is going to be a great match,” he said. “They (Knights) are a fantastic team who are playing confident cricket and that’s important in T20.
“We need to win to go through to the next round. So it is going to be a crack-a-jack of a game and I am looking forward to it.”
Hussey and his opening partner Lendl Simmons raised 139 runs to set up Mumbai’s nine-wicket win against Express on Sunday.
Mumbai were dealt a blow ahead of their crucial match when Praveen Kumar was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury.
The swing bowler had injured his right shoulder during their first match against Lions on Saturday, which they lost by three runs. Left-arm medium-pacer Pawan Suyal has been included in place of the injured Kumar.
While the batting and bowling has shown improvement, Mumbai’s fielding has been a cause for concern. They dropped three catches and there were a lot of misfields during their last match against Express forcing captain Kieron Pollard to warn that if they didn’t improve other teams will “kill” them.
The Knights have pulled off a surprise by winning both the matches despite being pitted against three sub-continent teams. They pose a tough challenge for Mumbai who will need to come out all guns blazing to record a win.
Lahore Lions too face a similar situation as they look to bounce back from their 72-run defeat to the Knights. They are seeking an all-round improvement as their bowlers conceded over 150 runs and their batting was in a shambles as they were bowled out for 92.
Captain Mohammad Hafeez made it clear that only a win will suffice against Express. “No matter what’s the condition we have to win,” he said.
The top two teams from the qualifiers will head to the group stage comprising 10 teams.
