Karn Sharma was picked up at the IPL auction by Mumbai Indians, earlier this year. He wasn’t part of our line-up in the first few games. However, when he was given a chance, he grabbed it with both hands and picked up wickets too. Karn even scored a few runs for the side. We lost the first Qualifier to Rising Pune Supergiant and it was a do-or-die game for us, in the second Qualifier against Kolkata Knight Riders. We won the toss and elected to bowl. While most of our bowlers responded well, Karn Sharma was a stand-out with the first four-wicket haul of the season by one of our players. He sounded very satisfied after the performance and seemed confident ahead of the final too.

Karn Sharma explained what went right in the first innings, after we won the toss. “It was good for us, we bowled well from the start. We got wickets in the middle and that’s more important. It’s all about momentum. We bowled well in the first 6 overs and won the game from there on.”

The leggie was very satisfied that we bowled so well against a dangerous batting line-up like Kolkata Knight Riders’. “We are bowling well as a unit. We bowled well in the last game too, we just couldn’t score much. They (KKR) are a very good batting line-up. They couldn’t score much against us, but that doesn’t take away anything from the strengths they have in that batting order.”

Karn is taking whatever opportunity comes his way, and has succeeded this season with us. “It’s going good for me and I just work hard when I’m not playing. The main motive is to perform well whenever I get a game.”

Karn has regularly bowled in the Powerplay, in Harbhajan’s absence. He has even got results for the team. Karn emphasised that he was ready to bowl at any stage for the team. “That isn’t in my hands. I am ready to bowl when the team needs me to and I want to do well. I want to win matches for my team.”

Karn’s first wicket was that of Narine, and he went on to claim three more, ending with 4/16 in his full quota of four overs. “I continued to bowl one line against Narine. We had different plans for different batsmen.”

We meet RPS once again, this time in the final. Our history in this season against them hasn’t been the best, having lost all three encounters against our neighbours. However, Karn wants to treat each game as they come. “We are playing well and have done so throughout the season. Our last game wasn’t that great, but it’s a T20 game. We needed momentum on our side, and have got it.”

Yes our record against RPS isn’t the best, but there can’t be a better time to set it straight and lift our third title this year. The team seems well balanced as we head to Hyderabad, a neutral ground for both the teams, for the final. Sunday will be the deciding day on which team is the best of the season. Past results won’t matter – we just have to ensure that we play better cricket than RPS. The final on Sunday, begins at 8 PM, at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.