Abu Dhabi: Mumbai Indians coach John Wright carries with him years of experience as a player, captain and coach, and he is hopeful the defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions can excel this year.
With IPL-7 starting in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and staying in the UAE until April 30, Wright says he wants his players to adapt to conditions which will not be familiar to most of them.
“Combination is sometimes governed by conditions,” he said. “Our selection is pretty much the same [whatever the conditions], we would have thought.
“Corey Anderson has come out well [from injury] and we will make a final decision tomorrow [today]. Michael Hussey has joined us and Lasith Malinga is in very good form and hence we are pretty well organised.
“From what I understand it is exciting to play in this part of the world. It is not too far away from India and we can get on plane and go back, so it is probably closer than Kolkata. What I understand is that the ticket sales have gone very well. It will be great if you have full stadiums and if not it would not be like India.”
With Sachin Tendulkar no longer in the Mumbai batting line-up, this season will give some new faces the opportunity to step up to the plate.
“There are three or four young players and there is a spot to play for and that is an opportunity,” Wright said. “It is their time. The greatest thing about the IPL is that it creates an opportunity for someone to become very well known in a very short space of time. Let us hope we have the right youngsters who can seize that opportunity.”
Wright is also delighted to have recruited Hussey from Chennai Super Kings and sees him possibly opening the batting with Rohit Sharma. “We know exactly what Mike can give us. Having said that, Mike is a very experienced and adaptable player. It is good to have him here and he has got enormous experience to bat in the middle order if you need it.”
