The most successful team in the history of IPL alongwith Mumbai Indians, starts their campaign against RCB on the 22nd. Two titles in three years is a massive achievement. They will be hoping to ascend heights that no team has ever done before. One more title win will put them ahead of Mumbai Indians in the pecking order. Much was speculated about Dhoni that he would be retiring from all forms of the game. It reached a crescendo when the captaincy was handed over to Jadeja. However, Jadeja found the burden to tough and handed it right back to Dhoni. This happened a couple of seasons ago and since then, Dhoni has been in the saddle firmly. Social media is full of memes of Dhoni accepting the trophy at the ripe old age of 60. Chennai Super Kings IPL Preview.
Dhoni’s popularity has not dipped a wee bit. The innumerable number of travelling fans of CSK provides an edge to CSK wherever they play. The fans are the 12th man in the squad. The manic following unsettles the opponents. Everyone of the fans is a Dhoni supporter. Dhoni is an integral part of CSK just as Kohli is for RCB. He has been the captain right from the inception of IPL barring a few games when Jadeja took over.
Loyalty to the franchise
CSK is the most consistent side in the entire history of the IPL. Apart from the 5 titles, they have also reached the final 5 times which is 10 final appearances in 14 years. Remember the franchise was banned for a couple of years. Ofcourse, to win that many titles, Dhoni alone cannot be credited. The franchise has maintained a consistency that is hard to match. More often than not, they placed their faith in experienced players. Rahane, who was a forgotten man, found a new lease of life after turning up in the CSK colours. The loyalty of the players and the support staff is unmatched. Even the coach, Stephen Fleming is unchanged in 16 years.
A couple of New Zealanders
The inclusion of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell will make the franchise stronger. We have seen the capabilities of both those players in the World Cup. Mitchell is capable of power hitting that matches the best in the business whereas Rachin can not only caress the ball in the gaps but can bowl a few useful overs. Their addition will be advantageous for the franchise. It remains to be seen whether both of them can play given the limit on foreign players. A year after winning their 5th title, CSK looks much more stronger. It can only be bad news for RCB who comes up against them first up.
Availability of the players
Devon Conway, the regular opener for CSK and an excellent striker of the ball, will be missing from action because of an injury. Pathirana, the Sri Lankan too will be missing because of a hamstring injury. With Rachin in the squad, he will easily slot in in the place of Conway. CSK’s bowling has not always been their strong forte. It is something they have learned to circumvent. Shardul Thakur’s return will induce depth to the batting. He is in good form with the bat having helped Mumbai win against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy.
With Deepak Chahar in the playing eleven too, the batting depth will be the envy of every other team. Chahar himself is no mug with the bat. He can bat like a proper allrounder.
The franchise will aim to win all their games in Chennai through the spin combination of Santner, Jadeja and Moeen Ali. Last year, they lost 3 though that didn’t prevent them from winning the title but it is something they would like to avoid.
Probable playing eleven for the initial games
Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana
Wrapping up Chennai Super Kings IPL Preview
It is hard to predict where CSK will end. They are known for surprises. 3 years ago, they were outplayed in most of the games but 3 years later, they have won 2 titles. Reaching the playoff should be achievable. Proceeding further depends on the form of the squad.
Other blogs about CSK
https://icricketcritique.com/the-ipl-2021-finals-and-chennai-super-kings/
https://icricketcritique.com/review-chennai-super-kings/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-dream-partnership-of-g-g/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-ridiculous-timing-of-ipl/
https://icricketcritique.com/csk-ipl-2023-analysis/