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CLT20: Jolted Mumbai Indians up against tricky qualifiers Otago
The spirits in the Mumbai Indians camp is down but not out.
The defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur has jolted the IPL champions.
The Mumbai outfit faces yet another formidable challenge in the form of Otago Volts -- in-form qualifiers from New Zealand in their second game of the Champions League Twenty20 in Ahmedabad on Monday.
CLT20: Jolted Mumbai Indians up against tricky qualifiers Otago
Mumbai Indians hardly have any time to sit back an reflect on the loss as they make the trip to Ahmedabad to face the tricky Otago, a team that impressed immensely in the qualifiers by winning all three of its matches to finish atop the standings.
CLT20: Jolted Mumbai Indians up against tricky qualifiers Otago
En route the main draw, Otago defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves and Sri Lankan outfit Kandurata Maroons.
The McCullum brothers -- Brendon and Nathan – have played key roles in the team's success. While skipper and batting mainstay Brendon has shone with the bat, Nathan has turned in decent bowling performances to help the team's cause.
CLT20: Jolted Mumbai Indians up against tricky qualifiers Otago
In contrast, Mumbai could not have hoped for a worse start as they lost to Rajasthan despite being a star-studded outfit.
Iconic Sachin Tendulkar, playing his last tournament for the Mumbai Indians, showed some spark with a 15-run cameo, which included three fours.
But Mumbai would need more than that from the star batsman. Skipper Rohit Sharma, however, continued to show good form, while Kieron Pollard was also impressive with a 36-ball 47 down the order.
CLT20: Jolted Mumbai Indians up against tricky qualifiers Otago
However, against Otago, a side that has mostly stifled opposition batting, it would take a lot more than cameos in the middle.
Otago picked up comprehensive wins in the qualifiers but the heavy reliance on Brendon McCullum would be a cause of concern for the team.
The side would look for more notbale contributions from opener Neil Broom Hamish Tutherford, who have been decent nonetheless so far.