Wednesday's loss not a concern for Mumbai Indians captain

The defeat against Kings XI Punjab notwithstanding, Mumbai Indians will be overwhelming favourites in their game against Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League today.

Lack of balance in the batting line-up has haunted Mumbai Indians. It is top-heavy with the lower order being weak. But the balance won't matter that much today. The quality of their main batters should ensure that they have enough runs on the board.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya and JP Duminy should love batting on a batsmen-friendly Buffalo Park wicket.

Asked whether the turf helps seamers or spinners, curator Ashley Nell said: "None. Our wicket is full of runs. We have got high-scoring games this season. During a Warrior vs Eagles game, Eagles scored 350 in 45 overs. The South Africa A vs Sri Lanka A game also saw a total of over 300 in 45 overs. The batters will love it," said Nell.

Riders are well aware of the kind of havoc the blades of the Mumbai maestros can cause when the conditions are good. Brendon McCullum's team bore the brunt of it on Monday when Tendulkar and Jayasuriya took away the game in the first 10 overs. The Mumbai duo set up the game with a 127-run opening partnership.

The mental scars are just too fresh and too deep for KKR. They have had a miserable first-leg and are placed at the bottom of the table.u00a0

Skipper McCullum is going through a torrid time with the willow and there is no gain saying that it has hurt KKR badly. McCullum and Chris Gayle's opening partnership was expected to scare the bowlers. Except for a couple of 40s, even Gayle hasn't set the grounds afire. It is his last game before he leaves to join the West Indies team in England.

Mumbai have been one of the favourites for the semi-final spot. They have been impressive in most of their matches, but they will have to be more consistent in the second leg. The defeat against Kings XI has been a setback.

Skipper Tendukar said his team was not too affected with the defeat in their last game. "It's (T20) tricky, I mean in the next game who knows, everything will fall into place. The nature of the game is such that you have to expect certain things and move forward," said Tendulkar.