Chennai Super Kings will lean on their formidable spin strength under favourable conditions at the Chepauk as well as recent record against Mumbai Indians when the two sides face each other in their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign opener here on Sunday.
Five-time winners CSK augmented their spin attack in the IPL mega auction last year by including Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad Shreyas Gopal and Deepak Hooda, with India veteran Ravindra Jadeja also in the mix.
CSK’s pre-season moves indicate how the spin-friendly conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here could be a major factor in their game plan. Starting their season against an equally formidable opponent in Mumbai Indians, this strategy could well deliver the goods right from the beginning.
For CSK, MS Dhoni will be the cynosure of all eyes once again, having remained with the team since the inception of the IPL in 2008.
On the other hand, the absence of India bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could be acutely felt in the MI ranks as the right-arm pacer remains on a comeback trail from a back-related issue which has kept him sidelined so far this year.
Bumrah is expected to miss the initial stages of this IPL and his absence will leave MI without their lethal weapon in the death overs, presenting the management with a headache to work with other options and strategies.
MI will also be without regular skipper Hardik Pandya for this clash as the India all-rounder serves a one-match ban for the side’s slow over-rate in their final league match last year.
But for a team which has no dearth of leadership options, MI will have India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav leading them in their tournament opener and important away clash.
CSK face a healthy selection conundrum for the opening slot with one among the two Kiwis, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, set to partner skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top.
The middle order is set to feature the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Hooda and Vijay Shankar, followed by Dhoni and Jadeja.
