Brad Hogg believes that Mumbai Indians will win IPL 2020, backs Hardik Pandya to perform

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg reckons that the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, will add another trophy to their cabinet at the end of the thirteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Well, Mumbai Indians look like they are going to be champions again. They are one of my top two teams going into this year’s IPL in UAE this year,” Hogg said on his Youtube page Hogg’s Vlog.

Hogg seemed quite impressed with the overall team set-up at the Mumbai Indians and the lethal bowling attack along with the plethora of quality all-rounders that the team possess.

“The reason for this is that they have got a good top four, they also have good allrounders and their bowling attack is stable, led by two geniuses with the new ball, and in death overs - Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga,” he added.

Hogg, who has plied his trade for the Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, backed Hardik Pandya to perform exceptionally well this season and win the prestigious man of the tournament award. The fact that Pandya will play after a long lay-off due to his injury and the birth of his first child soon will give him 'extra energy' in the tournament, feels Hogg.

“Also, the all-rounder Hardik Pandya. He is looking to get back into cricket after a long time off due to injury. He’s also got a baby on the way as well. I just think those things will give him extra energy and he will become man of the tournament in the UAE,” he said.

Brad Hogg picks RCB as the second most likely team to win the IPL

Interestingly, Hogg picked the Royal Challengers Bangalore as his second favourite team. The wily spinner rued the fact that RCB have never won a single edition of the IPL despite having such a strong team on paper.

“The second team I have got for you is for RCB. Finally, they will have a big chance to take out an IPL. They have always had good stock on paper, but they have never been able to go out and get the job done," Hogg said.

Hogg believes that the recruitment of Australian limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch may prove to be a masterstroke. According to Hogg, he will, more often then not, give the team a flying start which will significantly reduce the pressure on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

“Now, with inclusion of Aaron Finch at the top, he will be able to dominate in the powerplay overs, get some quick runs, and relieve the pressure in the middle order off AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in the middle order,” he said

The inclusion of Dale Steyn and Kane Richardson will further boost their chances of winning as they have a much better team balance this season, added the IPL veteran.

“Also, their bowling attack looks strong with Dale Steyn and Kane Richardson, and they have a better team balance as compared to last couple of years. They will have a better strategy going into the tournament,” Hogg added.

Meanwhile, the IPL is all set to be hosted in the UAE, with the tournament expected to begin at the end of September. Earlier, the IPL had been postponed indefinitely due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. However, it seems that the 13th edition of the IPL might finally come to fruition.

In fact, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially sent a letter of acceptance to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to host the IPL, Chairman of the IPL Governing Council Brijesh Patel revealed.