It's advantage Karnataka, says Vinay

 Karnataka had played Mumbai in their last league game a little over a fortnight ago at the Wankh­ede, and R Vinay Kumar said his side would gain from that experience as they clash again in the semifinals.

“We know their strengths and weaknesses. We had qualified for quarterfinals before that game in Mumbai, so we rested a few players. They got the innings lead in that match, but we are confident because we have seen their game from close quarters. Yeah, we have advantage,” said the Karnataka skipper on Wednesday.

Manish Pandey and Karun Nair, two significant names in the Karnataka batting line-up, have had a modest season thus far, but Vinay said they have the ability to up the game in crunch games. “Both Manish and Karun are big match players. I am confident that they will come up with a good performance in this game,” he said.

Karnataka have remained unbeaten for nearly two seasons, but Vinay said staying in the present would be important for his side to score over Mumbai. “We are not thinking about past or future. It’s good that we managed a fine run over the last two seasons. But we would like to live in present, and take it match by match. We are not trying to think too much about others’ strengths and weakness. We are looking to focus on areas we need to work on.” 

Vinay also warned against taking Mumbai lightly, just because they struggled for a large part of the season. “It has not surprised us the way Mumbai turned it around after a tough beginning. Mumbai is a top class side. It’s not for nothing they are 40-time champions. The name itself is enough for them to perform, as big teams play well in big matches.”

Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare said the pressure would be on Karnataka. “Our motto is to win the game. Karnataka have been doing well over the last two seasons and they are a very balanced side. They are playing at home. So, the pressure is on them than us. We are still a very young side, so the entire pressure is on Karnataka to do well,” said Tare.