Kolkata: The powerhouses of Indian Premier League (IPL) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will face off in the opening match of the IPL 2020 which begins in the UAE on September 19. These are the two most successful IPL teams and often termed as ‘big spenders’ at the players’ auction.
Chennai Super Kings
Captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni since 2008, CSK are the only team to have appeared in the playoffs every year. The team served a two-year suspension from the IPL in 2016 and 2017 for the alleged involvement of their owners in the 2013 IPL betting case.
The Yellow Army have lifted the IPL title thrice (in 2010, 2011 and 2018), and has the highest winning percentage among all franchises in the tournament (61.28). They became runners-up (in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019). In addition, they have also won the Champions League T20 in 2010 and 2014.
Some super delicious Arab dates for you! 🦁💛 #StartTheWhistles #Dream11IPL #Yellove #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/R5lhaRZoGk
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) September 6, 2020
Meanwhile, CSK vice-captain Suresh Raina on August 29 and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh on September 4 has been pulled out from IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. No replacements have been named yet.
Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Karn Sharma, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Josh Hazlewood, Francois Du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Narayan Jagadeesan, Monu Kumar, RutuRaj Gaikwad, R. Sai Kishore.
Mumbai Indians
Led by Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians are the most successful team of the IPL having won the title four times in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. They became runners-up in 2010. However, they will be missing the services of Lasith Malinga this year and have announced Australian pacer James Pattinson as a replacement. The veteran Sri Lankan speedster will miss the league due to personal reasons.
We begin our 🏆 defence on the opening day of #Dream11IPL 🔥
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 6, 2020
Which fixture are you looking forward to, Paltan? 💙#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI pic.twitter.com/36U5plUu7A
Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard (Vice-captain), Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Sherfane Rutherford, Surya Kumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Mohsin Khan, James Pattinson.
