Hard-hitting West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard exuded confidence that his team, Mumbai Indians, would go all the way in the ongoing Champions League T20 tournament.
Mumbai Indians, who open their campaign against defending champions and hosts CSK on Saturday, would be without the valuable services of skipper Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Munaf Patel.

However, the 24-year-old Trinidadian believes that the Mumbai unit would prove to be a hard nut to crack. Speaking after a practice session on Wednesday, Pollard touched upon various topics. Excerpts: On Mumbai’s preparations: Prior to the tournament, the team attended training camps in Baroda and Bangalore. The boys have worked hard and are raring to go. I joined the team just a couple of days ago and look forward to a challenging tournament.

On whether he would prefer batting higher up: Any cricketer would love to bat higher up the order and try to spend more time at the crease. But then, it’s a decision best left to the team management. I will try to give it my all wherever I bat.

Will Tendulkar’s absence hurt? Of course. Sachin is an important member in the team. The maestro, with loads of T20 experience from the IPL, has passed on his knowledge to the team. The boys have learned a lot from him.
Hopefully, we can go out and perform to the best of our abilities.

On playing CSK in Chennai: They obviously hold a bit of advantage at home. But it’s a game of cricket; it’s 11 vs 11. It doesn’t matter how good they are as opponents, what counts is the result. The team that gels perfectly will excel on the given day.

On how Harbhajan Singh has been shaping up: Harbhajan has been bowling well at the nets. He is confident of a good show.

On whether it was hard to choose between MI, Somerset or South Australia: I don’t see any confusion there; Mumbai Indians were the team that I was hoping to play all along. I am happy to be here playing for Mumbai in the CL.

On who will lead MI in Tendulkar’s absence: The team management is holding discussions and they will make an official announcement on Thursday.