The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kickstarts on Saturday in the UAE with the first match at 7.30pm.
Two of the most successful teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history — Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) — will be up against each other in the opening match of the 13th edition in Abu Dhabi at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday.
With just hours to go for the much anticipated inaugural match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between four-time champions MI and three-time winners CSK, fans await details around the playing 11 in both teams, whether MS Dhoni will get to bat on Saturday and where to watch the game.
The first match of IPL 2020 is scheduled to begin at 7.30pm IST on Saturday. Due to the restrictions around COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s IPL is not expected to have an elaborate inaugural ceremony or cheerleaders.
Fans can watch the games live on Hotstar+Disney streaming site for subscribers. On TV, the matches can be seen on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 2. Regional language commentary is usually available on the respective regional language channels of Star Sports (Star Sports Tamil, Star Sports Kannada etc).
Amid speculations around the availability of RJ Balaji for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), the actor-commentator confirmed his presence in the commentary team on Friday. With a video in which he is shown looking out of a room, purportedly that of a hotel, RJ Balaji said that fans can enjoy the IPL commentary with him every day from 7.30pm.
The commentary team in Tamil will also have Muthuraman (Pradeep) and Sathyanarayanan (Nanee) along with RJ Balaji. Experts who will be joining the commentary team in Tamil are cricketers Abhinav Mukund, Hemang Badani, S Badrinath, Kris Srikkanth and Sadagopan Ramesh. The show will be presented in Tamil by Bhavna Balakrishnan.
CSK recently suffered two major jolts as Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh opted out of the tournament citing personal reasons. It will be interesting to see how a charismatic leader like Dhoni, known for calmly handling all types of tense situations, overcomes their absence.
They say it’s our first match without you. But the unconditional #yellove that pours in from across the globe can only mean that the whistles are louder than ever and keep us going forever. Dear Super Fans, NANDRI VERY MUCH! #WhistleFromHome @CSKFansOfficial #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/u2dDkAxTOn
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) September 19, 2020
However, who replaces Raina will be known only when matches begin. With Ruturaj Gaikwad also being ruled out of the campaign opener, Kedhar Jadhav may be asked to bat at No. 3. CSK have the option of opening with Faf du Plessis and Watson. But juggling the foreign players and including then in the XI is also something the team management will have to look at. A maximum of four foreigners can be part of a playing XI, and Watson and Dwayne Bravo could be among the automatic starters.
In the bowling department, either Lungi Ngidi or Josh Hazlewood could make the cut. CSK is expected to rely on South African Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner of New Zealand so far as spin is concerned.
On the other hand, three-time champions Mumbai Indians have strengthened their batting after signing swashbuckling Aussie batter Chris Lynn. Mumbai could pose a major threat to their opponents as Rohit has confirmed that he would open the innings with Quinton de Kock. The duo had accumulated a massive 565 runs from 15 games together last year. While Rohit gathered 405, the South African stumper amassed a massive 529 runs and if the duo repeat the show, the Chennai bowlers would experience a tough time in their campaign opener.
Looking at the pitches in the UAE and their expected behaviour, low and slow that will help spinners more, CSK hold an edge over Mumbai as they have Bravo in their ranks, who has the ability to utilise such conditions while Watson’s experience could also come handy. Also, with Jadeja, Santner, and Piyush in their side, Chennai have more spin options than their opponents.
The inaugural game will also be under the spotlight since it is the first match after former Indian skipper MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket.
Overall, the two sides have met 30 times in the history of the IPL, with Mumbai winning 18 matches and CSK the rest. The two teams had clashed most recently in the 2019 IPL finals, which MI won by one run to lift the tournament. The two teams have clashed as finalists four times in total.
With IANS inputs
Source: The News Minute