IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are favourites to win the title in UAE, predicts RP Singh

New Delhi, Aug 21: Former India seamer Rudra Pratap Singh is of the opinion that defending IPL champions Mumbai Indians and the runners-up Chennai Super Kings are once again to be a force to force to reckon with in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The IPL 2020 is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In an exclusive conversation with MyKhel, the cricketer-turned commentator revealed why he thinks this way. The 34-year-old left-arm pacer also claimed that it will be interesting to see how teams like Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab, that boast of a quality spin attack, will perform in the tournament.

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The former pacer also stated that Australia pacer Pat Cummins, who was the costliest buy during the IPL 2020 Auction, might not be very effective for Kolkata Knight Riders and he had his reasons for the same.

Here are the excerpts:

MyKhel: Which teams according to you are going to have an edge in the IPL this year?

RP Singh: I think Mumbai Indians are going to have an edge they are the defending champions plus their coaching and support staff works tirelessly to bring the best out of their players. They are also very good at scouting fresh and young talents which helps them and the team is full of match-winners. Second them would be Chennai Super Kings because they have been one of the most consistent sides in the history of the IPL and MS Dhoni leads them brilliantly. So these two teams are once going to be pretty impactful this year as well.

MK: We have seen Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals have made some good investments in spinners and it is being said that the pitches in the UAE will conventionally be on the slower side which will aide the tweakers further. Do you think the teams with a quality spin attack are going to be a force to reckon with this time around?

RP Singh: Conventionally, UAE tracks are batting paradise and it will be dry and humid conditions when the IPL will be held. So humidity will make it tougher for the spinners. But yes, if the pitches start turning dry then the spinners will definitely come into contention. If the conditions are dry then we'll also witness low-scoring games and the matches will be tightly contested.

Also, your team combination or playing eleven plays an equally important role in the IPL. Almost half the job is already done if the captain has picked up the right men for the game keeping the pitch and ground conditions in mind. So, here comes the role of coaching and support staff for it is their strategy and analysis which makes the difference.

MK: Pat Cummins emerged as the most expensive buy in this year's IPL auction. He's a brilliant bowler but do you think he'll be as effective in the IPL as we've seen him in international cricket?

RP Singh: Pat Cummins, no doubt, is a superb bowler. But in the IPL you perform against some of the best hard-hitting batsmen and for a bowler to succeed in this league a seamer must have mastery over yorker and control over change of pace. Jasprit Bumrah could be the perfect example of this. Cummins is a good bowler and swings the ball away from the batsmen but I haven't seen him bowling too many yorkers and his change of pace.