Abu Dhabi: Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni invited Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians to bat first after winning the toss in the Indian Premier League tournament opener, here at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday.
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.@ChennaiIPL Captain MS Dhoni wins the toss and elects to bowl first in the season opener of #Dream11IPL.#MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/OAuLkAU7qb
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 19, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">.@ChennaiIPL Captain MS Dhoni wins the toss and elects to bowl first in the season opener of #Dream11IPL.#MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/OAuLkAU7qb
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 19, 2020.@ChennaiIPL Captain MS Dhoni wins the toss and elects to bowl first in the season opener of #Dream11IPL.#MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/OAuLkAU7qb
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 19, 2020
After winning the toss, MSD said, "Wanted to know if we can have a slip (in line with social distancing). Will bowl first. Late evening you get dew. Also to keep wicket in good condition they water it, so it tends to be tacky at the start. Have the liberty during lockdown to spend time on yourself to keep fit. Have to applaud every member of the squad."
Speaking about the quarantine time, MSD said, "First six days in quarantine is very difficult. Felt each individual used that time well and nobody was disappointed or frustrated. The practice facilities were very good. After the first 14 days, it was nice to get out."
When asked about their loss in the IPL final last year, Dhoni said, "Being a gentleman's game you don't think about revenge (against MI). You think about the mistakes you made."
Rohit at the toss said, "Would've bowled first as well, gets better under lights. Have been here a few weeks, so understand conditions better. Before coming here, we had a camp in Mumbai. Also had quality practice out here in Abu Dhabi. Key here will be to understand the conditions. Pitches for the practice matches will be similar to what we'll get here. Ready to go. The way we've been playing cricket for the last couple of years has been good. All in all, we've had good preparation. Now all about execution. Four overseas - Quinton, Pollard, Pattinson, Boult. NCN still not quite match fit with some niggles. Good opportunity for Pattinson who's been bowling well for Australia."
The two sides have met 30 times in the history of the IPL, with Mumbai winning 18 matches and CSK the rest.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Lungi Ngidi
