MI-CSK rivalry reason behind IPL's success: Sachin Tendulkar

The wait for India’s T20 championship Indian Premier League 2020 is finally over as defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings in the much-awaited season opener on September 19th, Saturday. The Mumbai-based franchise defeated Chennai four times in the previous season including in the final.

Rohit Sharma-led team will be eager to continue their winning momentum over MS Dhoni’s side when they clash against each other on Saturday. Mumbai Indians always have an edge over the Chennai-based franchise in the cash-rich league history.

Speaking about the MI-CSK rivalry, the former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar reckoned that the competitive rivalry between both the franchises is one of the reasons behind the IPL tournament’s success. Master Blaster stated that both the teams are extremely competitive in their own ways and termed it as unpredictable. Sachin last played for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2013 and is currently the icon of the franchise.

“For any tournament to succeed you need rivalries. Mumbai Indians, as well as Chennai Super Kings, have a very very strong fan base. Both are extremely competitive. There have been occasions where you know Mumbai Indians were pushed badly in a corner and we’ve been able to pull through and win that game and the same thing has happened also with Chennai Super Kings. It makes that competition unpredictable and when there is an element of unpredictability people get glued to the television sets that is the beauty of any sport. But when it’s played at the highest level and so fiercely competitive people like to see that and this year also it’s not going to be any different,” Sachin Tendulkar said in a video posted by Mumbai Indians’ official Twitter handle.

Chris Lynn is tremendous: Sachin Tendulkar

Talking about the Mumbai Indians squad, Sachin hailed Aussie stars Chris Lynn and Nathan Coulter-Nile and stated that the franchise is strengthened because of the two players’ addition to the squad.

“Chris Lynn when it comes to those explosive starts, he is tremendous. Nathan Coulter-Nile swinging the ball upfront and then bowling those death overs also chipping in with his bat. All in all, I think the balance is really nice of course, Mumbai Indians as a squad have always been good but it strengthened much more with these two inclusions,” Tendulkar went on to add.

👀 An #MI Matchday is incomplete without Sachin!

Here's the Master's take on the #MIvCSK rivalry 👇#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL @sachin_rt pic.twitter.com/HJGD79nypZ

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 19, 2020