IPL 2020: Rohit Sharma says Mumbai Indians have ‘psychological advantage’ over Delhi Capitals

Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians have already beaten the Delhi Capitals three times in the IPL 2020. This, he believes, will give his side “a bit of psychological advantage” when they face Delhi in the final tonight.

Also Read: IPL 2020 FINAL: MI vs DC Game Plan – Can Delhi’s batting unit step up?

The Mumbai Indians have the opportunity to win their fifth IPL trophy tonight. They had previously made the final in 2010, which they lost to the Chennai Super Kings, but then went on to win their next four finals in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. Given their record and their current form against the Delhi Capitals, Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians will certainly start as favourites. However, the skipper is not getting ahead of himself.

“There will be a psychological advantage a little bit, yes,” Sharma said on Monday, answering questions from the media. “But, again, what we have seen with the IPL is every day is a fresh day, every day is a new pressure, and every game is a new game. So you can’t think too much about what has happened in the past; of course, you can take a lot of confidence from the past. You just can’t dwell on it. You just need to move forward and think about what you want to do in that particular game.

“We can’t think about we have played these guys before and we’ve beaten them,” he continued. “We just have to treat them as a new opponent and what will we do as a team against that opponent. It is that simple for us. We keep doing the right things on the field, I’m sure we will have the fifth [IPL title] one in the bag.”

Boult might play, but Hardik won’t ball: Rohit

Kiwi left-arm pacer Trent Boult, who picked up an injury in Mumbai’s last game, is looking “pretty good” according to the Mumbai skipper.

Also Read: IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma hopes Trent Boult will be fit for final

“Trent looks pretty good. He’s going to have a session today with all of us, and we’ll see how he goes,” Sharma said. “He pulled up pretty well in the last two days, so fingers crossed, hopefully he plays.”

One bowling option Sharma will not be able to count upon in the final will be Hardik Pandya. The India all-rounder has not bowled at all during the IPL 2020, having recently returned from injury.

“He’s not comfortable at the moment to bowl,” Sharma said. “We’ve left that decision on him. If he’s comfortable, he’ll be happy to bowl, but at the moment he’s not feeling comfortable. He’s got some niggle going. Hardik to us is very important as a player, and his batting has been really, really key for us making it to the final. As long as he bats, I’m happy.”

The IPL 2020 concludes tonight with the Mumbai Indians taking on the Delhi Capitals in the grand finale.

Featured Image: Twitter/ICC