IPL eliminator: CSK has great history & MI have players who relish big occasion, says Malinga

It was pleasing though to finish the group stages on a high in Jaipur with a really thumping win, writes Lasith Malinga in The Times Of India, adding that Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith batted superbly and ensured that we go into this next phase in a really good frame of mind.

“Chennai might not have expected to qualify before Bangalore’s final game against Hyderabad, but now they are here on a clean slate. The past is history. The truth is that we will be taking on a team with a great history in this tournament and they represent a big challenge,” write Malinga, adding that
he has always enjoyed the knock-out stages of tournaments and Mumbai have the kind of players, who relish the big occasion and have a track record of delivering when it matters most.

Meanwhile Javagal Srinath writes in Hindustan Times that Dale Steyn reiterated that even in a batsman’s game, a class act can make a huge difference. “He was sensational against the RCB, a game the latter had to win to advance. RCB blew a glorious chance to make it to the knockout round for a fourth consecutive year. They were too dependent on Chris Gayle, and it didn’t help them that stand-in skipper Virat Kohli didn’t show the consistency expected of him. Saurabh Tiwary was disappointing, thus the expectations on Gayle and AB de Villiers multiplied hugely.”

According to a report in The Hindu, former Pakistan captain and bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, Wasim Akram on Tuesday slammed those criticising the Indian Premier League, saying that they were “jealous” of the cash-rich Twenty20 event's success and should be “ignored“.
“It is sad to see people protesting against IPL. These are jealous people and should be ignored. Let's focus on the business end of the championship,” Akram said.
The veteran of 104 Tests insisted that the Twenty20 tournament was a “great advertisement for pure entertainment“. Akram said that success makes many enemies and IPL was one glaring example of that.