The ICC Champions Trophy is in the history books now. Let’s move forward to the high-intensity action, that is the Indian Premier League (IPL)! While the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would start their defence against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22, the epic clash on the next day will garner more eyeballs. It will be a battle between two heavyweights, the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Brett Lee, former Australian legend, predicts who has a better chance of winning the IPL 2025 season between MI and CSK.
Mumbai Indians to beat CSK to win IPL 2025?
Brett Lee, who won the IPL 2012 title with KKR, weighed in on the MI vs CSK debate. He dissected the strong points and threats for both the IPL giants before claiming that if Mumbai enjoy a great start to the IPL 2025, they can go all the way.
“What has generally happened with Mumbai Indians in the last four to five years is that they lose their first four to five matches. Now, Mumbai Indians need to change that. If they start well and win a few of their first six games, they will gain momentum and be in a strong position for the playoffs. If MI does that, they can win their sixth title,” Lee said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
For those unaware, the Mumbai Indians won their opening match of an IPL season way back in 2012. Since then, they have lost their first game in every other campaign. This time around, MI won’t be at their best to start IPL 2025 too. They are likely to be without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah in their opening game, that is against CSK on March 23 in Chennai.
What about CSK?
Brett Lee believes Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are currently in a transition phase with several new players joining the team. Although CSK boasts talented players, Lee thinks Mumbai Indians (MI) have a slight edge going into IPL 2025.
“For CSK, it is time to rebuild. They have lost some great players, and while there is new talent, consistency will be key for them. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, look stronger than CSK,” he added.
Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL 2025 squad
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Shrijith Krishnan (WK), Bevon-John Jacobs, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya (C), Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Venkata Satyanarayana Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Corbin Bosch, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL 2025 squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, R Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Anshul Kamboj, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Matheesha Pathirana
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