There couldn’t have been better contest to start the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) than two of the most successful teams facing each other namely Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. The finalists of the previous season will lock horns against each other as both teams will be looking to start their campaign to the title with a win.
Not to forget, this is the first match and it will be interesting to see if the teams have adapted to the conditions and environment in UAE. Traditionally, Mumbai have been shaky starters while Chennai have been consistent mostly.
Match Prediction
Purely based on my instincts and looking at the balance between youths and experience, I am giving slight advantage to the defending champions Mumbai. I expect the match to be 60-40 in favor of Mumbai Indians. Having said that, Chennai is always in the game and is expected to give tough competition to MI.
Head to Head Stats
Total Matches Played 30
| Teams | Won | Lost | No Result |
| Mumbai Indians | 18 | 12 | 0 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 12 | 18 | 0 |
*Stats include both IPL and CLT20 matches
Mumbai Indians Probable Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock (WK)
Rohit Sharma (C)Suryakumar YadavIshan KishanKrunal PandyaKieron Pollard
Hardik Pandya
Nathan Coulter-NileRahul Chahar
Jasprit Bumrah
Trent Boult