The wait for the IPL 2020 is over as Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will kickstart the IPL 2020 in Abu Dhabi today (September 19). The IPL will also mark the comeback of one of India’s most decorated captains MS Dhoni back onto the cricket field.
The former Indian skipper who announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, earlier this year played his last international match for India in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
MS Dhoni chasing Raina in an elite list
Meanwhile, heading into the IPL 2020 opener MS Dhoni is approaching a new milestone and in the process will topple ‘Chinna Thala’ Suresh Raina. Raina is the most capped players for CSK with 193 games so far for the franchise. MS Dhoni is placed second with 190 games to his name.
With Raina missing from this IPL season, MS Dhoni has a chance to overtake the CSK vice-captain and become the most capped player for the three-time IPL champions. Dhoni will go past Raina in terms of matches in CSK’s fourth game of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
MS Dhoni Missing His ‘Key Players’
With Dhoni now retired, experts are predicting that this might be the season of Dhoni leading CSK to their fourth IPL title. They won it the third time in their comeback year in 2018. However, heading into the opener, the CSK camp has a few concerns. Apart from missing Raina and Harbhajan Singh for the season, they will also miss Ruturaj Gaikwad after he was tested negative the second time around. He is set to go through another phase of testing and his return is still in doubt.
CSK lost all three matches against Mumbai Indians including the final last year. Thus they have an uphill task on their hands when they face defending champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi just a few hours from now.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Match 1 – Fantasy Tips
