IPL 2020: Chennai Super Kings – Strengths and weaknesses
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings are considered the favorites for the IPL 2020 title and they will be looking to keep their record intact of having qualified for the knockouts in every edition that they have played.
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings head into another IPL tournament with the burden of another title. ‘Dad’s Army’ has shattered plenty of misconceptions about Twenty20 being a format for the young and powerful. If one is wise and powerful, then it is a lethal concoction. Chennai Super Kings’ IPL build-up has been marred by the coronavirus and also by the withdrawal of Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina due to personal reasons. With no replacements announced and with Rutururaj Gaikwad still not recovered from the coronavirus, there will be plenty of question marks in the team’s composition heading into the clash against Mumbai Indians on September 19.
Such is the mastery and magic of MS Dhoni’s captaincy that he can get the best out of any resource that is there at his disposal. Chennai Super Kings do have the depth in the bowling and batting but they will have to overcome on thing – which is to avoid losing the ig moments in the final. Just imagine, had they capitalized on the moments in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019, Chennai Super Kings would have been the seven-time IPL champions and not three.
Strengths of Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni and captaincy – Enough said about this! If the power of MS Dhoni and his captaincy, that too unburdened with international cricket retirement, it is a different dimension altogether. This IPL 2020 promises something special from Dhoni when it comes to batting and captaincy. If both click, then Chennai Super Kings will be in very good hands.
Spin attack – Piyush Chawla, Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner. There was a reason why Chennai Super Kings dished out Rs 6.5 crore for Chawla. He is attacking and can contain as well. In the slow, low pitches, Chennai Super Kings’ spin strengths are immense and they have some buffer in the middle overs. With Dwayne Bravo a proven death overs bowler, Chennai Super Kings do have the edge.
Weakness
Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh absence – The withdrawal of Raina is a massive blow to the Chennai Super Kings. In one stroke, their middle order is now vulnerable, having lost their leading run-getter and the person who can also blast off in the powerplay or in the death overs. In Harbhajan Singh, they have lost a bowler who could have restricted the flow of runs in the first six overs.
Lack of power hitting – It might be ironical but Chennai Super Kings’ power-hitting is a bit of a concern. Watson only fires in the finals, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav and Murali Vijay have been slightly inconsistent. The onus will have to lie on MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo.
Chennai Super Kings squad
MS Dhoni (captain), N Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore.
Chennai Super Kings probable Playing XI
Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur