New Delhi: Former Australian pacer Brett Lee has put his money on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stating the MS Dhoni-led side are the favourites to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The Yellow Brigade didn’t have a young squad for the last couple of years, yet they managed to qualify for the final. In fact, in 2018, they won the title for the third time after making a return following a two-year ban.
This year, as the IPL moves to the UAE for the second time in history, Lee, who has played for Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders during his IPL career, stated that based on conditions, CSK look favourites to tie Mumbai Indians for the most titles this year.
“I reckon their strength is that their players are a bit more elderly, mature. They’ve got that youth coming through but they’ve got a lot of players who’ve been around a long, long time and I’d say that’s their greatest strength,” Lee said.
CSK have retained their core group of players – ones who have been responsible for their success over the years. Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja have formed the backbone of CSK for many years and coupled with experienced campaigners in Shane Watson and Harbhajan Singh, the franchise may not boast of spring chickens on paper, but it has proven its worth each season.
“It’s definitely right up there and that will definitely suit those wickets,” Lee said. “Recently, I’ve looked at the forecast of the next two or three weeks. It’s 40 degrees, plus the wickets will surely turn. Therefore, I feel CSK will feel a lot more at home. Imagine all those spinners getting big rips, big turn. I reckon they are definitely suited for this tournament and should definitely be favourites.”
