IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians Likely To Take On Royal Challengers Bangalore In First Game Of The Tournament: Report

The start of the Indian Premier League is in all sorts of chaos after 13 members of the touring party in UAE tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus. The BCCI confirmed the development on Saturday (August 29). All the cases are likely from the Chennai Super Kings camp.

Out of those 13 members, two are players. India international Deepak Chahar is confirmed as one while Ruturaj Gaikwad is reportedly the other player who has tested positive for the virus. Due to the recent turn of events, Chennai Super Kings’ quarantine has extended from 6 to 14 days.

And if reports are to be believed then Chennai Super Kings are unlikely to play the first game of the season now. While the schedule is not out yet, Chennai and Mumbai Indians were set to play the first game of the tournament. Earlier this month, Rohit Sharma had hinted at the same when he congratulated MS Dhoni on his retirement from international cricket.

Royal Challengers Bangalore to play tournament-opener:

With Chennai Super Kings now looking pretty much unlikely to play the first game of the competition, Royal Challengers Bangalore could reportedly be the side to replace them, according to The Times of India. The news outlet quoted a source as saying that the first game of the season needs star power and with MS Dhoni out of contention, Virat Kohli is the obvious choice.

“It could possibly be Royal Challengers Bangalore because in the first match, you’ll need star players on the field. If MS Dhoni is missing, then it has to be Virat Kohli,” say those tracking developments.

IPL 2020 is scheduled to start on September 19 while the final is to take place on November 10. Surprisingly, the BCCI is yet to finalise the schedule. And given the recent developments, it won’t be surprising if the schedule does not come out any time soon.

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Also Read: N Srinivasan Hints Towards A ‘Rift’ Between MS Dhoni And Suresh Raina As Reason Behind The Southpaw’s Exit