IPL 2020: CSK vs MI Preview, Probable XI, H2H, Fantasy XI and Match Prediction

csk vs mi preview prediction

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Left) and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma.

On September 19th, the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and three time title winners and last year runners-up Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will cross swords in Abu Dhabi, UAE. While MI looks the strongest on paper, CSK, on its day, can take the wind out of opposition’s sails, thanks to the guile of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy.

Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings: Preview

Firefighting a range of issues — from team members testing coronavirus positive to key players Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulling out of the tournament due to personal reasons — CSK have seen it all.

The absence of the duo has ripped the heart out of the team and it would be up to other players: Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu, among others, to take the team ashore in trying circumstances.

Harbhajan pulling out of the IPL makes Imran Tahir, a vital cog in the team. He will need to step up big time in the current edition.

The absence from training sessions may hurt the team a little but the setbacks may only reinvigorate their desire and motivate them to make a strong comeback on the field.

Contrarily, MI looks the strongest on the paper, boasting some of the world’s most destructively freewheeling batsmen in its kitty. Their
skipper, Rohit Sharma, with five hundreds in the ICC World Cup and impressive test record for the national team recently is a force to reckon with, while Kieron Pollard can destroy the opponents single-handedly.

In the bowling department, they will be led by ever consistent Jasprit Bumrah but lack of quality spinners and yorker-king Lasith Malinga, who pulled out citing personal reasons, can put them in a spot of bother.

Chennai Super Kings Squad

MS Dhoni (captain), Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, N Jagadeesan, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Curran, Karn Sharma.

Mumbai Indians Squad

Rohit Sharma (captain), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, MItchell McClenaghan, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Sherfane Rutherford, SuryaKumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, Mohsin Khan.

Ideal playing XI (Chennai)

Shane Watson ✈
Faf du Plessis ✈
Ambati Rayudu
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C) (WK)
Kedar Jadhav
Ravindra Jadeja
Dwayne Bravo ✈
Imran Tahir ✈
Piyush Chawla
Deepak Chahar
Shardul Thakur.

Ideal playing XI (Mumbai)

Rohit Sharma (C)
Quinton de Kock (WK) ✈
Suryakumar Yadav
Hardik Pandya
Ishan Kishan
Kieron Pollard ✈
Krunal Pandya
Mitchell McLenaghan ✈
Trent Boult ✈
Rahul Chahar
Jasprit Bumrah.

Fantasy XI

Rohit Sharma
Shane Watson ✈
Quinton de Kock
Ambati Rayudu
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Kieron Pollard (C) ✈
Ravindra Jadeja
Hardik Pandya
Imran Tahir ✈
Trent Boult ✈
Jasprit Bumrah (VC)

Players to watch out for

For CSK – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja.
For MI – Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah.

Head to Head

Played – 30
CSK won – 12
Mumbai won – 18
No result – 0
Tie – 0

Match Prediction

Mumbai Indians has one of the strongest batting line-up and a class bowling group. On the other hand, Chennai may look to redeem itself after losing its curcial players but it may take them a while to get back on track. Mumbai will look to topple their arch-rivals in the opening match and it won’t be an overstatement to say that they may clinch the title this time as well.

Despite what is on the paper, Chennai has always shown what it can do on the field with its limited resources. It would come as a surprise if the team don’t manage to reach the playoffs.