Mumbai Indians will begin their title defence against Chennai Super Kings in the season opener of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The much-awaited encounter will take place on September 19 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Rohit Sharma and Co will step into the game as definite favourites as they have one of the strongest teams on the paper. Also, the Men in Yellow will be without the services of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh. However, it will be interesting to see what combination MI will field in the high-voltage encounter. Rohit Sharma Seen Giving Tips to Young Pacer Digvijay Deshmukh Ahead of MI vs CSK IPL 2020 Opener. 

Openers: Starting with the openers, skipper Rohit Sharma, who’s arguably the best batsman in white-ball cricket at the moment, will start the innings alongside Quinton de Kock. With 529 runs, the South Africa dasher was the leading scorer for MI in the prior season and will like to replicate his heroics again. De Kock is also set to keep the wickets in the opening game. MI Team Profile for IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians Squad in UAE, Stats & Records and Full List of Players.

Middle Order: New-recruit Chris Lynn will come into bat at number three. The Aussie dasher can hit the ball a long way and also has a rich IPL experience. However, given the fact that Lynn has got most of his success at the top order, skipper Rohit might swap his opening position with him. Suryakumar Yadav will come out to bat at number four, and he’ll have an important role to play as spinners will get assistance in the middle overs.

All-Rounders: Fresh from clinching the Caribbean Premier League 2020 title, Kieron Pollard bat at number five. The dashing all-rounder was in sensational form in CPL 2020 which are great signs for MI. Alongside giving MI a staggering finish, Pollard can also chip in with few handy overs. Pollard will be followed by Pandya brothers (Hardik & Krunal) who have been the cornerstone of Mumbai Indians in the last few seasons. The two all-rounders can aggregate quick runs in the end overs and also have the ability to hurt the opposition with the ball in hand. The role of leg-arm spinner Krunal Pandya will be even more significant as the pitches will assist him.

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah will continue to spearhead MI’s pace attack and the top-ranked ODI bowler Trent Boult will assist him. With these two speedsters joining forces in the powerplay overs, run-scoring will not be easy for any team. Comeback-man Dhawal Kulkarni, who is another experienced campaigner, will be the other fast bowler in the side. Last but not least, Rahul Chahar will lead the spin department, and his performance in the middle-overs will be critical to MI’s success.

Mumbai Indians Likely Playing XI Against Chennai Super Kings: Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Chris Lynn, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 14, 2020 12:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).