Mumbai Indians

MI’s director of cricket operations, Zaheer Khan addressed the pre-match press conference ahead of our clash with RR on April 2nd.

Zak answered questions on the mood in the camp, MI’s new bowling unit and the big question of course, will Suryakumar Yadav play his first match in the Tata IPL 2022 against RR?

“Surya will be available for the next game. He has been practising well and we are eagerly waiting for him to play,” was Zaheer’s definitive answer.

Ishan Kishan, who was hit on the toe in our first game vs DC, and only took the wicket-keeping gloves late in the second innings is also fully fit for the game, Zaheer added.

MI did fall to a four-wicket defeat in our season opener but the mood in the team room was positive.

“It’s a long tournament so you have to keep the mood upbeat. It’s very early days now and that’s how the camp is looking at it. The intensity of preparation is high and everyone has gone about their business well. We are looking for that first win of 2022,” stated Zaheer.

The bowling unit, apart from Boom, is also completely new for MI and Zak felt the preparation was on track.

“We have had constructive chats about the options we can take. The first game is always and we usually have been slow starters,” he chuckled.

“The DC game was a good learning for us, the Brabourne wicket is not easy for the bowlers. In terms of planning and prep, we are right on the money.”

With our next game being at the DY Patil stadium, Zak was asked about the pitch supporting the pace bowlers more.

“Well, that’s a very technical question!” he laughed.

“The wickets have been fresh because not much cricket has been played, there’s been help for the bowlers. We will have some discussions around how the wicket is helping pacers upfront and make our strategies accordingly,” answered Zaheer.

Dew has also been a factor in the tournament so far, with bowlers finding it a challenge to grip the ball but Zak felt every team had to embrace it.

“Dew is something not in our control. We just have to prepare ourselves, our bowlers have used wet balls in practice to get an idea of what to do in match situations. Teams are now opting for 6-7 bowlers, that’s what we are looking at as well. With dew, it becomes difficult for spinners, even for pacers, the yorkers are inffective at times. So those are the challenges of the game, you have to accept them and learn to deal with them,” he said.

One key question was about managing Jasprit Bumrah’s workload and Zak was insistent he would play all games.

“I have always endorsed the idea that as a bowler, if you are in rhythm, you should play as much as possible. If you are injured, you should take your time to recover but if you are fit, you should play,” he said.

Zak certainly answered a number of key questions and we are eager to see how the plans are implemented in the game against RR.