Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik is confident that this time round their team have a very realistic chance to win the crown. Having been a finalist in the 2010 edition Mumbai with their all-round side, which has depth in its batting line-up and variety in its bowling, will be a force to be reckoned with in the IPL. They have brought in Ricky Ponting as captain and roped in former Indian coach John Wright as their coach.
“We are a very balanced side. We have depth in our batting and variety in our bowling. The team is a mixture of experience and youth and I am sure we will do well in this edition of the IPL,’’ said Karthik.
“Realistically speaking we are looking to atleast make it to the semis and then take it from there,’’ added Karthik.
His confidence stems from the fact that Mumbai will be led by Ponting, an astute thinker of the game, and coached by John Wright, who is known to deliver results in his own subtle way. “It is nice to have Ponting as captain who is a great leader and thinker of the game. His experience will come in handy,’’ said Karthik.
“It will nice to work with John Wright again. He is a wonderful human being and he had great success being the coach of the Indian cricket team. I am sure he will replicate the same (rate of success) with us,’’ opined Karthik.
Mumbai’s batting line-up consists of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Ponting and Kieron Pollard. “It is great to have Tendulkar in any side. He is a big motivation for us. Plus everyone knows what Pollard is capable of. If he continues in the same vein it will be good for us. On the whole our line up is formidable and one that can tackle any attack,’’ explained Karthik.