IPL 2020: Mahela Jayawardene Confirms Mumbai Indians' Opening Pair

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed the opening pair for the side in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The likes of Quinton de Kock, Rohit Sharma and Chris Lynn are the prime candidates for the opening slots.

It is safe to say that picking two from these three players is not an easy task at all. While de Kock and Rohit are two of the best white-ball players in the world, Lynn’s record in T20s is equally impressive. The Australia has good experience of playing in the IPL too.

However, it looks like the hard-hitting batsman will struggle to get chances in IPL 2020. A couple of days before the start of the tournament, Mahela Jayawardene confirmed the opening pair for the four-time champions, saying that captain Rohit will open the innings alongside de Kock.

“Having options is always great. Chris Lynn is a great addition to the squad but the combination of Rohit and Quinton has been there for us, last season they complement each other well,” said Mahela Jayawardene.

“It has been very consistent and both are well experienced cricketers. I always feel ‘why fix something that ain’t broken’. So we will continue to go with that but having Lynn as an option gives us flexibility in the squad,” added the former Sri Lanka skipper.

Mumbai Indians had secured Lynn’s services in the last players’ auction. Before that, the right-handed batsman had plied his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders. The Australian was with the Knight Riders since 2014 and had become an integral part of the team since the 2017 season before being release last year.

In the last two seasons, Chris Lynn was one of the batting mainstays for the two-time IPL winners. In 2018, he scored 491 runs with the help of 3 fifties at a strike-rate of more than 130, helping the Knight Riders make it to the playoffs. In 2019, he was one of Knight Riders’ most consistent batsmen, scoring 405 runs in 13 games with the help of 4 fifties. He scored at a decent average of more than 31 and scored his runs at a strike-rate of nearly 140.

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