The first match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 between the two most successful teams -- Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings -- will not be an ordinary cricket match. The tournament, moved out of India due to the coronavirus pandemic, itself will be a test of cricket's resilience and how successful the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can organise a high-stakes event in the most trying of times. One misstep, and it's all over. (More Cricket News)
And this first match will be the benchmark, for everything associated with this edition of the world's premier T20 cricket league. Players will want to prove, even in the 'echo chambers', they can still express their best versions, in performance and behaviour. In fact, some have already wilted under the pressure, but many would hope to climb new charts.
Now, IPL's two most successful teams, featuring legends and superstars of the game, line up for the season opener. Nothing can be bigger than this for the billions who are seeking something worthwhile in these uncertain times. The runs, the wickets, the catches, the run-outs and the many celebrations, no matter how fickle they sound, will give fans reasons to celebrate. Imagine a Dhoni last-ball six or a Rohit Sharma century.
With that here's all you need to know about the big match:
Match details
What: Match 1 of IPL 2020, Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
When: September 19, 2020 (Saturday)/ 7:30 PM IST, 2:00 PM GMT, 6:00 PM local
Telecast details
TV Channels: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 1 Hindi
Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar VIP
Prediction
A vintage performance from Chennai Super Kings to set up the tournament nicely. CSK have been hit hard by the coronavirus and compounded their worries by the absence of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh. But this is one team you want to bet against. And they now have more reasons to fight. Also, they have a big score to settle against Mumbai Indians. Remember it was 0-4 last season.
Likely Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan (wk), Surya Kumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir.
Squads
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Pattison, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prince Balwant Rai, Quinton De Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c), Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karan Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Monu Kumar, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishor,
