Despite suffering a defeat in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians' (MI) James Pattinson said he is "grateful" as the players are getting a chance to play cricket amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"These are different times and we are just really grateful to be out there playing cricket and hopefully putting out a show for people," Pattinson said in the post-match press conference.
The 13th edition of the IPL commenced on Saturday with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) playing against MI in the opening match. Also, the matches are being played behind closed doors due to the concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus.
MS Dhoni-led CSK made a winning start in the league, defeating their opponents by five wickets.
After being asked to bat first, MI put a total of 162 runs from their allotted 20 overs. Although CSK witnessed a poor start, losing two wickets in the first two overs, the team managed to register a win.
It was Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu's half-centuries which propelled the team to a five-wicket win.
Pattinson said MI were also looking to bowl first as there is an 'advantage' in bowling first.
"We were looking to bowl first, with the temperature being high at night time the ground does get a bit wet. So, there is an advantage in bowling first. Both the teams were looking to bowl first," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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