UAE looks set to host IPL 2020 (Source: Jay Shah)IPL 2020, MI vs CSK Match 1 Team Players List Live Updates: After a long wait, Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin in United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Saturday and fans canβt keep calm. Only hours remain till the CSK vs MI opening clash on Saturday (7:30 pm IST).
Even though the event is being hosted outside the country, it has not dampened the excitement and talk around the big cricket tournament with fans happy to watch from their homes amid the global pandemic. Chennai Super Kings take on Mumbai Indians in the delayed tournament opener.
After a double uninterrupted appearances at the IPL, these regulars boast cent percent attendance and the eternal promise of a plucky 13th year of reinventions. Featuring IPL's most prominent mainstays, an Express countdown to India's big sports opening Saturday night.
IPL marks Indian cricket’s return to Sharjah, but bio-bubbles and empty stadiums are in stark contrast to the glory days of 80s and 90s. Most of the best players in the world will be present in the United Arab Emirates this autumn, but cooped in eight different bio-bubbles with stringent restrictions.
Apart from playing matches and training sessions, one would hardly get a chance to move out. It’s life in a cocoon. Needless to say, there will be no crowds at the three venues, at least for the major part of the tournament. (READ MORE)
“In some ways the break can work for the experienced and older players that we have. MS is fresh and ready to go,” Fleming said in a pre-tournament interview to CSK’s official website. “...experienced players identify key times and that’s why they’ve done so well in their careers. They can turn games, absorb pressure or just sum out the situation. That’s what experience is about and that’s why we value it so highly,” said Fleming.
As thick as their pace stock is, their spin bench is thin. Young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar enjoyed a coming-of-age campaign last season, has deception and tricks, but he’s still not adequately experienced to be anointed the lead-spinner.
MI in IPL 2020: Can the defending champions paper over cracks in spin department?
At which position MS Dhoni would stride in is an intriguing question, more so after Raina’s departure. Mostly it would be situation-dependant, but unshackled of international chores, would he turn more enterprising?
CSK in IPL 2020: A rusty batting order and the league’s finest spin contingent
The most storied rivalry of the IPL will start things off tomorrow. Some, like Gautam Gambhir, have said MI have the edge in tomorrow's match. Some, like Brett Lee, have said it's CSK who have the advantage. Which side of the divide are you on?
π£οΈ: 'It's the #ElClasico of @IPL!'#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/i2TV6ump2U
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 18, 2020
For three years, he lived with groundsmen in the Muslim United Club’s tent at the Azad Maidan ground in Mumbai. He had to, after he was thrown out of a dairy shop where he used to sleep. Now, he is the next big thing in Indian cricket. Will we see him flowering on the IPL stage?
The BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Friday expressed his satisfaction after inspection of arrangements at the Sharjah Stadium ahead of the start of the 13th Indian Premier League. Sharjah will host 12 matches of the IPL and is one of the venues besides Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Sharjah stadium recently underwent major renovation, including setting up of new canopies, an upgraded royal suite, commentary box, and VIP Hospitality boxes in total compliance with COVID-related protocols.
The IPL 2020 will be devoid of any physical media presence due to the strict health safety protocols put in place in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI said on Friday. "The Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Owing to the health and safety concerns, media personnel will not have access to the stadium to cover the games or team practice sessions," the BCCI stated in a media release. "Additionally, this year, owing to the circumstances, there will be no new media registrations barring the UAE media," the Board further stated.
"I have always enjoyed watching Dhoni play because of the style he has. The aggression -- I really like that. It has influenced me in my game too, as football is a game where you need to be tough and aggressive," midfielder Anirudh Thapa said. He mentioned that he is now looking forward to seeing Dhoni play in the Indian Premier League. "When I heard the news of his retirement, I was obviously very sad because I'm a big fan of him. Hopefully, I can watch him play in the IPL this time."
Kings XI Punjab’s KL Rahul is a class act and how he shapes as a leader could also create a narrative for the future. There will be a lot of interest as to how he handles players like Glenn Maxwell, Chris Gayle, and Mohammed Shami, who are savage on their days but can be ordinary on some others. The low profile Sunrisers Hyderabad once again will be gunning for a place in the summit clash and their skipper David Warner will depend on Jonny Bairstow’s flair, Kane Williamson’s poise, and Rashid Khan’s flamboyance this year.
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to Andre Russell and his destructive nature in the format for a playoff finish this season. The 2018 U-19 World Cup stars — Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti — add a dash of youth. Eoin Morgan’s leadership skills that might prove to be handy in case a normally inconsistent Dinesh Karthik misfires. Rajasthan Royals is the weakest team lacking quality in the Indian line-up but expect Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, and Jofra Archer to do the heavy lifting in Ben Stokes’ absence.
Mumbai Indians by a distance are the most formidable with Rohit, Pandya brothers — Hardik and Krunal –, the indomitable Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings can never be counted out because of the man with the ‘Hawk Eyes’ behind the stumps. Along with Dhoni, the likes of Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, and Ravindra Jadeja have given their blood and sweat for the ‘Yellows’ and it would be no different this time.
For Kohli, winning a tournament as a captain would reaffirm his status even as naysayers question his style of leadership. Royal Challengers Bangalore is a shade better with the presences of Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, and the wonderfully gifted Devdutt Padikkal. Delhi Capitals, with their newfound vigour and pragmatic new owners, found their mojo last year and would like to go one better under an enormously talented skipper in Shreyas Iyer, who can be matched in skills by a Prithvi Shaw or a Rishabh Pant.
Going through a poor run of form, Chris Lynn is banking on his exploits at last year's T10 tournament in UAE to turn things around and contribute to his IPL team Mumbai Indians. 'I have got some really good memories from the T10 tournamemt last year here in Abu Dhabi, so hopefully just reconnect with what worked for me there and hopefully put some performaces on the board,' he said.
His sabbatical from the game has done Mahendra Singh Dhoni a world of good, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said, asserting that the skipper is 'mentally engaged and determined' to encounter the challenges of a 'tactically different' IPL.
Dhoni's CSK will take on Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on Saturday. Fleming, a former New Zealand captain, stressed that his team's experience of winning big matches will come in handy during the next 53 days.
"CSK are up there. I have picked them to win and I think CSK have a good chance because of their spin attack. With Santner, Jadeja needs to step up and be the no.1 spinner and CSK have got great variety and none of the spinners are same, so they are at an advantage for the conditions in the UAE as the tournament progresses," said Brett Lee ahead of the tournament's opener.
Virat Kohli on Thursday said his teammates have become “acceptive” of living in the IPL bio-bubble and there is no “desperation” for a change of environment as they approach the tournament proper from September 19. RCB landed in the UAE on August 21 and have been training for more than two weeks, including some intra-squad practice games.
“To be honest we have become more acceptive of the situation around us. Acceptance is the biggest change I have experienced (since day 1 here),” said Kohli in a virtual media conference organised to honour citizens who have become “COVID Heroes” amid the pandemic.
Dhoni’s return to competitive cricket would be the more keenly-watched sub-plot of the Chennai Super Kings’ IPL campaign, which hit a rough patch quite early thanks to a couple of major pullouts and COVID-19 cases in the contingent. The playoff regulars will open the tournament with what is expected to be an intense clash against defending champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. In the run-up to this showdown, the side has battled 13 COVID-19 cases, including two players, and pullouts by the senior duo of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh due to personal reasons.