Our fate is in our control, it's a great position to be in: Mahela Jayawardene

Mumbai: Facing a do-or-die match against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night at the Wankhede Stadium, the Mumbai Indians players and fans are sure to have some jitters. With 14 points in their bag after 12 matches, MI must win their last two matches to secure their passage to the playoffs. Undeterred by the tricky situation, MI coach Mahela Jayawardene was pleased that the five-time IPL champions' fate was, after all, in their own hands.

"Our match got pushed back and we had to wait for other results to happen, but I think we were always in contention for the playoffs after we had that run (six straight wins). The guys have been waiting for this (resumption), training has been pretty good and just take one game at a time and see what we need to do. It's (quest for the playoffs) in our control, it's a great position to be in but I can't predict what's going to happen," Jayawardene said.

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"The message from me for the boys was to make sure that we go through our routines, our processes, the way we train, the way we plan and the way we've gone about this tournament. I'm very happy with our intensity, the way they've reacted to certain situations and we just need to do the same, it's that simple. So, I'm not thinking ahead. We've had a good week's preparation and watched what the other teams were doing as well and how they've come about and we just need to go out and express ourselves and play a good game," the former Sri Lankan captain said.

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Considering the possibility of rain impacting in the remainder of the league, the BCCI has decided to allot an extra couple of hours for each match. "I mean obviously the weather has been threatening most of the games and it's a decision that they've collectively taken. If it helps, it helps but if you have serious rain, I don't know whether the extra hour is going to help but as long as we can get a game with the extension, everyone wants to play a game of cricket rather than not play," said Jayawardene.


Sounding cautiously optimistic ahead of the ultra-crucial clash against DC, Jayawardene said, “What we can control is what we were given in preparation and then tomorrow’s game, so just take it that simply. I know you guys might think, how can it be? It’s a big game for us. But it’s still a game of cricket, whether it’s a World Cup final, whether it’s an IPL final. I can’t control the dynamics. I can’t control the fans or how the media is reacting to the whole thing. What I can control is to make sure the guys are focused on playing a game of cricket. It will be for them a normal game of cricket as long as I can get them to think like that. That’s the way forward.”