The much-coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kickstart in the United Arab Emirates with two of the T20 giants – Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, battling it out in an attempt to draw the first blood in their future encounters in this season. With IPL taking place in UAE and the tracks being more suited to the needs of spinners, former Australian pacer, Brett Lee, feels the spin variety in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will give them a considerable advantage in the upcoming season.
“They (CSK) are up there. I have picked them to win and I think CSK have a good chance because of their spin attack. With Santner, Jadeja needs to step up and be the no.1 spinner and CSK have got great variety and none of the spinners are the same, so they are at an advantage for the conditions in the UAE as the tournament progresses,” said the former Australian speedster in Star Sports’ show Game Plan.
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The Dhoni-led side has some of the best T20 spinners in their unit who could wreak havoc on the slow and turning conditions. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who was the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2019 with 26 wickets at an average of 6.69 will spearhead the spin department. Piyush Chawla was roped in by the franchise in the auction held last year and with Harbhajan Singh missing out the season due to personal reasons; Chawla might get the nod in the playing XI. Then there’s left-arm orthodox Ravindra Jadeja who has bagged 79 wickets for CSK and one of the key bowlers to watch out for. The likes of Karn Sharma and Mitchell Santner too have a strong chance of raking in impressive numbers as the season progresses.
Also Read: 4 Reasons why Kolkata Knight Riders can win IPL 2020
Jasprit Bumrah can fill in Lasith Malinga’s shoes: Brett Lee
Mumbai Indians will be missing out on the services of ace cricketer Lasith Malinga, whose heroics with the ball have been one of the primary reasons behind their conquests since his association with the Men in Blue. In spite of that, Lee believes that Jasprit Bumrah would be able to fill in the void created by Malinga’s absence in the forthcoming edition of IPL.
“I’m always Bumrah’s fan since he burst onto the scene some years ago. He has got a different bowling action, he pushes the ball in, and can swing the ball both ways. He is good with the new ball and can bowl at death overs. He can bowl at 140 kmph and zoom the ball in at the batsman’s feet. He is bowling the yorkers consistently and there are very few bowlers like that, so he can fill those shoes'” added Lee.
Jasprit Bumrah has been highly effective for Rohit & Co in the death overs. His ability to choke the batsmen with the variations developed over the years has reaped benefits for the Mumbai Indians.
In IPL, Bumrah has picked 86 scalping in 77 appearances while averaging 26.62. The Gujarat-lad has been consistently featuring among the highest wicket-takers in the tournament, grabbing 56 wickets in the last three seasons combined, and could end up with another great season in the UAE.
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