The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Just like every season, fans have chosen their favourite IPL teams to win the 2020 edition.
But what do cricket experts feel? Well, former Australia fast-bowler Brett Lee has dropped his opinion on the red-hot topic.
The former New South Wales cricketer reckons that there is one team which can take the maximum advantage of conditions in UAE and that is the second-most successful team in the history of IPL, Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The MS Dhoni-led side has won three IPL titles till now – in 2010, 2011 and 2018.
While speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’, Lee said that CSK has plenty of experienced customers in the squad, and they know how to handle the pressure in big matches.
“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,” said Lee.
CSK is known for showing loyalty to their senior players which has helped the side on many occasions. From the past many seasons, CSK have shown consistency in retaining their core groups of players, like Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson and Harbhajan Singh.
The most significant factor which will make CSK a tough opponent to the rest of the teams in the UAE is their well-stocked spin attack. The likes of Harbhajan, Jadeja, Tahir, Piyush Chawla, Karn Sharma and Mitchell Santner give CSK loads of options which will definitely act as an advantage.
“It’s definitely right up there, and that will definitely suit those wickets. Recently, I’ve looked at the forecast for 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 be favourites,” added Lee.
