GAUTAM GAMBHIR REVEALS WHY MUMBAI INDIANS HAVE 'UPPER HAND' AGAINST CSK IN OPENING MATCH

As the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on September 19 with rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) locking horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), fans are impatient about the big day. 

Days before both the teams could face each other, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, believes that it will be Mumbai Indians who may have the upper hand going into the first game against CSK. 

In a recent interview of Star Sports Cricket Connected chat show, Gambhir spoke about CSK-MI rivalry. “I am very excited to see how Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah will be bowling together with the new ball. Because Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult are world-class bowlers and both of them are wicket-taking options in T20 cricket. A left-arm seamer who brings the ball in for right-handers and Jasprit Bumrah who is unorthodox,” Gambhir said.  

“It will be a huge challenge for Chennai Super Kings as they don’t have Suresh Raina at No.3, plus Shane Watson does not play much international cricket and has not played cricket for a long time, so how he plays against Bumrah and Trent Boult. We will also have to see with whom he would be opening the batting,” he further added.

Revealing reasons as to why MI will have an upper hand on CSK, Gambhir asserted that “I feel the Mumbai Indians have the upper hand if you see the balance and depth of the squad. They have also added Trent Boult to their squad, who will give them a very good option."

“Because you want a bowler who can give you wickets with the new ball so that you can use Jasprit Bumrah in a different manner. So I will want to watch how these two perform, not only in the first match, but in the entire tournament,” Gambhir finally added.