Mumbai look to turn the tables on Delhi

Delhi Daredevils host Mumbai Indians in the second leg of the league stage today. Delhi, having won its last respective matches, and high on confidence considering their dominance in the tournament so far, have an upper hand.

Though return of Sachin Tendulkar from the finger injury and success of James Franklin as an opener has given Mumbai Indians some stability at the top, but the absence of Lasith Malinga, who joined the squad on Thursday, will still be felt. Malinga was briefly laid-off due to back injury. He joined the squad yesterday and bowled in the nets for a while, but the decision to play him would only be taken before the match.

"He (Malinga) would be bowling in the nets to know how his body feels. He knows his body best. So he will give us the feeling how his body is feeling now and we will see from there," Mumbai Indians bowling coach and mentor Shaun Pollock said.

On Harbhajan Singh's lean patch with wickets, Pollock says he is not bothered. "Harbhajan sets very high standards for himself and his performance hasn't been that bad. Obviously, he hasn't got a lot of wickets but that is not something we are worried about."

"He has played a lot of cricket here and knows the conditions very well," he added.

On the other hand, Delhi don't face any such troubles. Their team looks settled in every department. With four big players at the top of the order any target seems cha seable. Save Pune Warriors, no other team has been able to pose any problem to Daredevils' bowlers led by Morne Morkel, the purple cap holder.

Delhi Daredevils coach Eric Simmons felt that Tendulkar's return makes a huge difference and they would be on guard against him. "Sachin (Tendulkar) is back, that makes a difference. Mumbai Indians are coming off a good win in Chandighar and will be high in confidence," Simons said.