The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is round the corner and we are just one night away from the opener. Defending champions Mumbai Indians lock horns with Chennai Super Kings on the first day at the Dubai International Stadium. Ahead of the start, cricket experts including Gautam Gambhir and Aakash Chopra pick their contenders for IPL 2020 playoffs.
The pundits joined hands to pick Mumbai Indians as one of the strong contenders to reach the playoffs again. The four-time IPL champions have the strongest and balanced batting line-up in the competition. However, they lack only in the spin department with Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya leading the pack.
Experts pick contenders IPL 2020 playoffs
Speaking further, barring former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody, everyone backed Chennai Super Kings to reach the playoffs again. Incidentally, the MS Dhoni-led side has finished in the top-four in each season they have participated.
Furthermore, Ian Bishop, Deep Dasgupta, and Aakash Chopra picked Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a playoff-contender. The Virat Kohli-led side has struggled last three seasons, finishing at the bottom half of the points table after the group stage.
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Former India cricketers – Agarkar and Dasgupta also reckoned that Kolkata Knight Riders might progress to the qualifiers while Delhi Capitals also received backing from certain sections.
Here are the experts’ choices for IPL 2020 playoffs:
Sanjay Manjrekar– Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Ian Bishop– Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore
Deep Dasgupta– Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders
Gautam Gambhir– Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals/Rajasthan Royals
Tom Moody– Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Ajit Agarkar– Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings
Aakash Chopra– Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore
Which four teams will reach the #IPL2020 playoffs? https://t.co/7BFllt14WP@GautamGambhir, @sanjaymanjrekar, @irbishi, @cricketaakash, @imAagarkar, @deepdasgupta7 and @TomMoodyCricket with their predictions 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/fZAZiMdOYV
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 18, 2020