'We need to stop Gayle, de Villiers'

Bangalore: Keeping his cards close to the chest, Mumbai Indians' coach Shaun Pollock on Sunday said his team certainly has a plan for RCB's batting line-up but hopes Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers do not fire against them in Monday's encounter. "We will be in trouble if we made our strategy against RCB public. Obviously, we have a strategy against RCB that we would like to keep within the four walls of the dressing room," Pollock told reporters at the pre-match press conference here.

Mumbai Indians have a plan up their sleeves against Gayle and want to see his back early in the innings, Pollock said, adding, "If we get him early, it will be a big blow for RCB. We obviously realise, he is a very important player for the hosts. He has been making runs consistently. We also don't want de Villiers to play well against us tomorrow [Monday]," he said.

Mumbai Indians' inconsistency has been a concern for the team management but Pollock said all teams have been going through such a phase because of the highly-competitive nature of the IPL this season.

\"We\'ll be in trouble if we made our strategy against RCB public,\" added the Mumbai coach ahead of the match on Monday.

"A lot of teams have been beating each other. We have seen last-ball finishes too. This year's IPL has been competitive," he said.

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