Sachin inspects Wankhede pitch; unlikely to face Royal Challengers today
Sachin Tendulkar, the captain of Mumbai Indians, inspected the Wankhede pitch in the early hours of today morning. Sachin’s Mumbai Indians will face off with Royal Challengers at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai here on Sunday.
As per the latest news, Sachin is unlikely to play in the inaugural match of Mumbai Indians against the Bangalore franchisee Royal Challengers. Sachin is nursing a groin injury. In the absence of Sachin, the team will be led by Harbhajan Singh.
It is expected that Sachin’s absence is a boon for the Royal Challengers, which were embarassed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the DLF IPL on April 18. Royal Challengers, led by Rahul Dravid, will also be happy with the presence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the veteran West Indian who will add more strength to the batting line up of the ROyal Challengers.
If Sachin is missing from the Mumbai Indians squad, the cricket fans in Mumbai would surely be unhappy. But, Sanath Jayasurya and Robin Uthappa will surely add the much needed fireworks for a Twenty20 match.
The main weakness of Mumbai Indians is that they dont have many T20 specialists in the side, though Robin Uthappa is an exception. Although, the absence of SAchin Tendulkar would be a blow to the Mumbai Indians, the fact that they are facing a low-on-confidence Royal Challengers would act as a big morale booster to the Mumbai Indians.