Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, Indian Premier League 2020, Today Match Prediction 19 Sep 2020

mi vs csk Match Prediction & Analysis

The wait is finally over and defending champions Mumbai Indians would begin their title defense in IPL 2020 taking on last year’s finalist Chennai Super Kings. The two powerhouses of the Indian Premier League have some of the best players in the tournament. Batting looks strong on both the camps and we are likely to see lot of runs in the game. It is expected to be a close game as none of the sides would like to start the season on a losing note. 

Mumbai Indians have a very good record against the Chennai Super Kings and have won the last five games between the two sides. In the last ten games between them, CSK has managed only two wins. The side from Chennai is further troubled by COVID scare in their camp which has hurt their preparations. It will be interesting to see if the men in yellow jersey are able to beat these odds and start off this season with a win. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Mumbai Indians Preview

Rohit Sharma would be very confident going into this game with the strength his side has in its batting as well as bowling departments. Their preparations have been smooth and Sharma would like to begin the title defense on a comprehensive note. Sharma’s side has had a very good record against Chennai Super Kings in recent years and the skipper would like to continue with the same dominance. 

Batting looks very strong for the side with Rohit Sharma opening the batting with Quinton de Kock. They haven’t played for some time and shall look to get the rust off. Chris Lynn didn’t do well at the CPL and would be looking for runs here. Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya make this batting line-up formidable down the order. All these players bring good hitting abilities to the table.

On the bowling front the side would miss the services of Lasith Malinga who has pulled out of the tournament but Jasprit Bumrah and Jayant Yadav make a formidable new ball attack. Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar would look to repeat their success of the last season in this game. With Pollard and Hardik Pandya in the mix the side has good variety in its attack going into this game. 

Mumbai Indians Predicted Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Chris Lynn, Kieron Pollard, Trent Boult, Ishan Kishan, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav

Mumbai Indians Actual Playing XI:

James Pattinson, Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, SS Tiwary, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma, SA Yadav

Chennai Super Kings Preview

There has been negative news coming from the CSK camp over the last two weeks. First the Covid positive reports and then big names like Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulling off has hurt the morale of the side. The team would take solace in MS Dhoni’s inspirational leadership. The former India skipper would be aware of his side’s poor record against Mumbai and look to lead from the front in this game. 

They have good batting at the top with Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson opening the batting for them. The pair would need to provide a strong start in the game. Suresh Raina’s absence would be a big blow but Murali Vijay will look to fill those shoes with his experience. Ambati Rayudu and Dhoni bring in good hitting abilities to the table with the experience Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja to follow in the line-up. 

The side has a decent pace attack with T20 specialists Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur opening the bowling for the side. They had enjoyed a good season last year with the new ball. Imran Tahir fresh from his exploits in the CPL makes the spin attack strong alongside Piysh Chawla and Jadeja. With Bravo’s experience to go along with this the bowling attack looks very strong.

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI:

MS Dhoni (c & wk), Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Piyush Chawla

Chennai Super Kings Actual Playing XI:

Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, SR Watson, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The conditions at Abu Dhabi would be perfect with clear skies on September 19.  The track is expected to be flat where batsmen will be able to play their strokes freely without any fear. Very high totals have been recorded at this venue and there won’t be much for the bowlers. The side batting first in this game would need to target a score of 170 runs to feel safe on this track.

Venue Details

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi is a nice venue for T20 cricket where the wicket is flat and the outfield lightning fast. There are plenty of scoring opportunities for the batsmen and not much of assistance for the fast bowlers with the new ball. Spinners have done well at this venue as the ball tends to turn sharply here.

Toss: To Bowl

In the last five games played at this venue the side chasing the score has won on four occasions. The pitch is good one to bat on right through the game and setting a score here is always a big challenge. With most batsmen not having played for a while we believe the side that wins the toss is expected to bowl first on this surface.