IPL 2020 is set to commence in UAE from September 19th. This will be the first season where fans will not be allowed inside the stadium and the cash-rich T20 league will be a Television-only event. The 53-day tournament will take place in three stadiums in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Chennai Super Kings take on Mumbai Indians in the delayed tournament opener and it’s going to be a cracker of a contest between two of the most successful teams in the history of IPL.
Follow this thread as we deliver all the live updates, pitch report, playing XI, pre-match & post-match analysis
The oldest and fiercest rivalry in the IPL: Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the only two franchises to have faced each other in an IPL final four times and this will be a rematch of the 2019 finals. The opener will be played in Sheikh Zayed Stadium at Abu Dhabi.
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium has hosted 45 T20I matches in the last ten years, where the highest team total has been 225/7. The pitch has been good for batsmen, but the spin bowlers often trouble them on this ground. Anything above 150 can be defended and apart from the spinners, the medium pacers have also achieved much success in Abu Dhabi.
Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will continue to open for Mumbai Indians in IPL, as per Mahela Jayawardene. he says why fix which isn’t broken. Mumbai also have Chris Lynn in the squad this season but as the Sharma-de Kock combination has worked wonderfully, MI aren’t likely to throw a spanner in the works.
Though option of Lynn gives MI some flexibility in the squad. It also gives them a chance to be unpredictable when needed.
Rohit used to bat in middle order previously for MI but last season he opened entire season and it worked for him and MI both.
The season opener will pit defending champions MI (4 times champions) against CSK (3 times champions).
24 matches will be played at Dubai’s Dubai International Stadium, while Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium will play host to 20 matches. The iconic Emirate of Sharjah will have 12 matches at the revamped Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The league stages will also witness a total of ten double-headers.
Here is an interesting stat - Hardik Pandya has a SR of 155.4 in the first 10 balls of an innings. The highest in T20s (last three years) for those who have played at least 500 balls.
