Brett Lee names CSK as the favourites to win IPL 2020

Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee reckons that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the favourites to win the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team, led by MS Dhoni, didn’t have a young squad for the last couple of years, yet they managed to qualify for the finals. In fact, in 2018, they won the title for the third time after making a return following a two-year ban.

Dhoni has played for CSK in 10 seasons and every other time, the Yellow Army qualified for the playoffs. Lee, who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), believes that having experienced players is CSK’s major strength.

“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,” Lee was quoted as saying on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.

The 2020 IPL is scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the tournament was moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have been decided to be the hosts for the mega event from September 19 to November 10.

I feel CSK will feel a lot more at home: Brett Lee

The pitches in the UAE are also known to be helpful for the spinners. Bearing in mind the same, Lee feels that the Super Kings have an advantage. Dhoni’s men already had the likes of Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja in the spin-department in the previous IPL. In the earlier auction, they also roped in Piyush Chawla, who moved from the Knight Riders.

“It’s definitely right up there and that will definitely suit those wickets. Recently, I’ve looked at the forecast of 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 definitely be favourites,” he added.