Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by a thumping ten-wicket margin in their reverse fixture at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Winning the toss, Skipper Kieron Pollard who was captaining the side in Rohit Sharma’s absence decided to bowl first. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah then reduced CSK to 21/5 inside the powerplay overs. The opposition never came back in the game after that.

On the other hand, MI finished the game without losing a single wicket. Ishan Kishan alongside Quinton de Kock put up an unbeaten partnership of 116 runs from just 74 balls to take MI to victory.

Pollard addressed the media at the post-match press conference. The all-rounder shared his thoughts on how well the team executed the plans, the new-ball bowling pair as well as the absence of Rohit in the side.

All plans seem to have fallen in place for this game. Can you share insights on the team’s specific plans for Chennai Super Kings today?

Pollard: “I won’t go deep into details as to what we planned but it was good to see how the bowlers went out and executed. We wanted to set the tone really as a bowling unit and we did that opening with our two main bowlers. We weren’t thinking of giving the new ball to Jasprit but after that over from Trent and getting that early wicket. Rayudu has batted well against us over the last couple of years, so we just decided to go for him and it worked for us. It’s just a matter of seeing the bowlers execute the plans, coming out, and delivering.”

What was the thought behind choosing to bowl on a flat track at Sharjah?

Pollard: “We batted first, the first time we played here. We did well. It was a day game. You see the scores, it has been getting a bit lower every time. I’m a big believer that in a ground like this, you’re always in the game if you’re batting second. I’d rather have to chase 160 than having to defend 160 on this ground. So again, that was part and parcel of it. Chennai batted pretty well in their last game, so putting them under pressure and getting early wickets worked for us.”

Top bowling by the opening pair again. They’ve been consistent for the team throughout the tournament. How comforting it is to have such a bowling lineup and also what was the thinking behind Bumrah taking the new ball in the second over?

Pollard: “Having two world-class bowlers with the new ball is fantastic for us. Kudos to the management and staff for putting together such a wonderful team combination as well. We were thinking about having Trent open the bowling and maybe go with either Nathan (Coulter-Nile) or a spinner, but seeing a couple of balls swing, getting that early wicket, and having Rayudu come in, I just thought that it was good to use an experienced bowler and have better bowlers against their better batsmen.”

This win puts Mumbai Indians back at the top of the table. However, you do have stiff competition from RCB and DC, so what will be the focus areas going forward?

Pollard: “The focus area will always be improving as a team. So when we have to come up against these guys, we know what we need to do. I think before that, we play against Rajasthan Royals. So we don’t have to think just yet about RCB and Delhi. As a team, we just try to take it one step at a time and one game at a time. We regroup and we come up with some other plans, we execute it and then we think about what needs to happen in the backend.”

Any thoughts on experimenting with the team, for example trying out the bench strength now that the team is through to the playoffs?

Pollard: “No thought. Again, winning is a habit, losing becomes a habit. It’s not something that we want to do actually, to change the chemistry that we have at this point. We have some world-class players on the bench as well which is good. But I also believe these things like serving opportunities will come when necessary. Nothing happens before it’s time. It’s just a matter of us trying to come together. Hopefully, we will see in the next couple of games where that takes us if we decide to go that way. But at this point, no thought in terms of experimenting with our players.”

How good was it to lead such a talented team which has been performing consistently throughout the tournament?

Pollard: “I think it’s fantastic. The pressure would have been on, knowing that we’ve won a lot of games. Unfortunately, we have lost our captain. At the end of it, when you look at it, he has done well for us as a batter and leader. Disappointed that we don’t have him on the field. We are going to try to consistently perform and hopefully at some point, get him back. He’s a very integral part of this team. He’s a leader. We as a bunch just try to go out and hold the fort during such time.”