The wait over is finally over. Cricket’s biggest extravaganza – Indian Premier League (IPL) will commence from September 19 (Saturday) with defending champions Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings. We bring you the match prediction of match 1 of IPL 2020 between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
The tournament opener will be a high-profile encounter with the biggest stars of the game going up against each other. It will bring back a lot of joy among the fans after a gap of over six-seven months amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mumbai-Chennai lock horns in IPL 2020 opener
Meanwhile, the Super Kings will miss the service of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh in the competition. Both stars pulled out of IPL 2020 owing to personal reasons. Chennai’s biggest challenge will be to cover the absence of Raina, who has been a stalwart in the line-up since the start in 2008.
Ambati Rayudu is likely to bat at No.3 and his performance will be one of the deciding factors in this campaign. MS Dhoni will return to competitive cricket after a gap of more than one year and it remains to be seen how he fares. With chances of Dhoni being a bit rusty, the onus will be on Ravindra Jadeja and Dwyane Bravo.
Veteran South African spinner Imran Tahir will lead the spin department while Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur will lead the pack of pacers.
Speaking about Mumbai Indians, they have one of the best batting line-ups in the competition. Furthermore, the presence of all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Krunal Pandya will strengthen their side in IPL. On the other hand, the defending champions will miss their star campaigner – Lasith Malinga due to personal reasons.
Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace battery alongside Nathan Coulter-Nile and one between Trent Boult and Mitchell McLenaghan. Mumbai’s weak link lies in the spin department where the inexperience of Rahul Chahar can hurt them badly.
Date and Venue: IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings on September 19 starting from7:30 PM IST at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Pitch Conditions
Wickets in the UAE have consistently helped the spinners and it will be no different this time around. The wickets will be slow which will pose difficulties for the batters.
However, once set, they will make merry on the pitches and small grounds can also witness a flurry of boundaries. It will also be hot and humid in the UAE making things difficult for the players.
Predicted Playing XI
Mumbai Indians – Quinton de Kock (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter- Nile.
Chennai Super Kings – Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur and Imran Tahir.
IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings – Match Prediction
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will start as the favourites going into the IPL 2020 opener against the Super Kings. Incidentally, two sides have so far played a total of 28 matches with Mumbai dominating the charts. The four-time champions have won 17 matches whereas CSK has just won 11 against them.
As a result, Mumbai are likely to pocket the two points on offer in the first game.
