IPL2020 Match 1 - Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings: Match preview

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is knocking at the door and this time the whole tournament is set to happen in UAE. The tournament could not be conducted during its usual time in India because of the coronavirus pandemic, therefore after several thoughts, BCCI came to this decision on organising it in UAE.

The first match of the IPL 2020, is as usual a banger. It involves the finalists of the last edition of the IPL. It is reigning champions Mumbai Indians going up against Chennai Super Kings.

Mumbai Indians

The reigning champions once again will be a huge threat as they already had a great core and they have also tried to add more artillery to their arsenal in the last auction. Their Indian contingent is as good as any team in the IPL and with Rohit Sharma leading this team can again cause mayhem.

The champions dealt an early blow as Lasith Malinga was ruled out of the tournament as they went with Aussie pacer James Pattinson as his replacement. Apart from that, they have a very strong lineup with all-rounders like Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya. New arrivals include Chris Lynn and Nathan Coulter-Nile as stars. However there will be doubts over their spin contingent as it lacks depth and also experience.

Expected Lineup: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Nathan Coulter Nile, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.

Chennai Super Kings

Another heavyweight team in the IPL, last season, CSK were in the hunt for the trophy. They reached the finals where they were defeated by Rohit Sharma and co. However, this season things have down a little downhill for MS Dhoni and his men. Experienced batsman Suresh Raina and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh have withdrawn from the tournament. There is no clear news whether they will join the team later.

So that’s a huge blow for the Kings. Rturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Chahar, with some of their staff were tested positive for COVID-19. This also acts as a mental block among the players in the camp.

The team management have not yet decided to look for replacements just yet but their absence will open up opportunities for other players to make a mark.

In the opening fixture, both Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood won’t be available for CSK. The duo were part of the recently concluded England versus Australia ODI series. They will have to complete their quarantine period before coming out to train in the UAE.

Expected Lineup: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir.

Match Prediction

CSK win

Odds (Decimal)

MI – 1.82

CSK – 2.08

Date and Time

19th September 2020, 7.30 PM IST

Venue

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

(The odds might change without prior notice)

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