The Mumbai Indians head coach has applauded his side’s ability to adapt to the unfamiliar playing conditions in Chennai
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene believes using neutral venues in the Indian Premier League makes the competition more exciting.
For the 2021 tournament, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkota and Bengaluru are each staging ten matches while the remaining 16 are split equally between Ahmedahad and Delhi. Teams play matches at four of the stadiums and cannot play at their home venue.
Mumbai Indians have started their tournament in Chennai and have come through three nail-biting thrillers with two wins and one defeat.
And, despite a run of low-scoring matches at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium, Jayawardene doesn’t believe the pitches are unplayable or uninteresting. Instead, he chose to praise his side’s ability to adapt to the conditions.
"Well, I think it's unfair to say that you need batting wickets in IPL, why is the tournament interesting is because every venue is different which makes it evenly contesting. Yes the wickets are slightly on the slower side but we have still seen scores of 150 or 160 in the last few matches," he said.
"They are not unplayable wickets they are good competitive wickets. I think we have been consistent in our approach it is challenging but we have adapted pretty well. Sometimes we will make mistakes and that is part of the game."
"Every game is a challenge in Chennai because we are playing different teams and not just playing against CSK in Chennai, we are playing against different opposition, so we also have to adjust to different playing styles according to the teams."
The former Sri Lanka captain also believes Mumbai, who have considerable firepower in their ranks with the likes of the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard, can chase down any target, anywhere.
"I am pretty confident that we can chase a target if we are asked to bowl first. We believe in that ability, it's not just Chennai but in any conditions, it's the same for us in Wankhede where it is easier to chase the totals down," said Jayawardene.
"We try and believe in ourselves that nothing is impossible but we can't control the atmosphere or conditions. We can control our mindset and I know if we have to chase something down this the batting line up which can achieve the target."
Mumbai Indians next face Delhi Capitals in Chennai on April 20.
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