The 13th edition of IPL is set to kick-start on September 19.
When it comes to winning percentage – CSK has won 61.28 % matches across its 10 complete IPL seasons whereas MI boasts the winning percentage of 57.98 from 188 games.
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Under MS Dhoni's inspirational leadership, CSK also holds the record of most appearances in the playoffs (10) and the finals (8). In addition, the Chennai-based franchise has also won the Champions League Twenty20 in 2010 and 2014.
On the other hand, MI has made it to the playoffs and finals 8 and 5 times respectively. Just like CSK, Mumbai has also lifted the CLT20 title twice (2011, 2013).
As the IPL moves to UAE this year, will the two franchises be able to continue their domination?
If former Australia speedster Brett Lee’s opinion is to go by, CSK looks favourite to tie MI for the most titles this season.
“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 on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.
At the IPL 2020 auction, CSK had retained its core group of players, which includes MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja among others.
Spinners are expected to play a key role in UAE and the Chennai-based franchise has the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Piyush Chawla, Karn Sharma and Mitchell Santner in the squad.
“It’s definitely right up there and that will definitely suit those wickets. 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,” Lee further remarked.
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League will be played across three venues – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi – from September 19 to November 10.