The IPL 2020 will get underway as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) get ready to take on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 19. These two teams have won the IPL seven times combined and each will be vying for another title in due time.
Apart from these two, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are the only winners of the IPL tournament, while KXIP, RCB, and DC are looking for their maiden title.
Indian and IPL cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar managed to win the IPL in his final year in the tournament in 2013 and when former India opener Aakash Chopra asked him in a YouTube interview, which team will win the IPL, the little master said, “Of course the Men in Blue, are there any doubts? I’ve always been in blue everywhere. When Mumbai and Indians come together then it becomes Mumbai Indians.”
Talking about which teams can give MI a run for their money in the course of the tournament, Sachin said that it will be a game of momentum for each side.
IPL 2020: Sachin Tendulkar hails Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings rivalry
“Every team is well balanced. This is one such format where a lot of things happen quickly. When batsmen start playing shot too early we tend to advise him to be a little watchful and when someone takes his time we want him to get on with it. It is going to be exciting. I feel it’s anyone’s game. So the team which has momentum, they have to make the most of it. It’s a 53-day tournament, the momentum comes and goes, there will be a lot of ups and downs,” he said.
Sachin will be missing out on mentoring the MI team, as the tournament was shifted out of India due to COVID-19 and he said that though he has no plans of traveling to the UAE, he will try to go later if he can.
He further stressed on teams starting well in the tournament and players going in with less baggage on their minds.
“To a certain extent I’d say that (It’s important to start well). The first game is very important. Even in a Test series, it is the same here. So when the first game goes well, the team meetings become shorter. A less complicated makes you concentrate on what is happening at the opposite end because that is where the bowler will from. When there are too many things going around in your head, it’s difficult to concentrate. And that has a lot to do with what has happened in the last game. So it’s important to start well,” Sachin added.
