'We're the defending champions,' says Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma prior to Chennai clash

With just hours to go for the IPL 2020 curtain-raiser, the defending champions - Mumbai are all set to take on arch-rivals Chennai on Saturday evening. Happy with the franchise's preparations amid COVID, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma has remarked that the squad won't be taking for granted despite a heavy trophy cabinet. The Mumbai-lad has also exuded confidence in squad strength and stated that each player knows what to do. 

"We are the defending champions, we need to have our eye on the ball and not take anything for granted. Not to take the foot off the pedal as well. We just need to keep pressing, keep pressing and keep pressing hard. Staying away from the game is never easy, it's always hard," said Rohit Sharma in a video posted by the franchise on Twitter.  

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"This time around it was totally different because we were under severe lockdown and we were not allowed to move. So it was good to be spending some time with family. See I am very satisfied with the way things have gone so far. The guys are looking pretty good, I was surprised that people must have lost touch, including myself. We're good to go. We're looking pretty good," the skipper said while speaking of the preparations amid the pandemic.  

"Pretty organized here. Everyone knows what they have to do. Each one knows what sort of role will they be given and they just need to take care of that," he added. 

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Rohit Sharma - de Kock to open

 At the press conference two days prior to commencement, Head Coach Mahela Jayawardane informed that the squad will persist with Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock as openers despite the addition of explosive batsman Chris Lynn to their arsenal. Head Coach Mahela Jayawardane added that the duo has been consistent and he does not see a reason to disturb the combination.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, skipper Rohit Sharma and Mahela Jayawardane also stressed the loss of veteran Lasith Malinga from the squad. Adding that the veteran speedster is irreplaceable, Rohit Sharma said that whatever Malinga has done for the franchise is not 'comparable'. The skipper also stated that pacers like Nathan Coulter-Nile, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Trent Boult, who are likely to replace Malinga have been included in the side without any pressure and baggage.

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Mumbai Full Squad

Rohit Sharma, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare

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