Chennai Super Kings - a team that has luminesced the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the inception of the league. The MS Dhoni-led side made it to the finals of the 2008 IPL by winning 8 out of 14 games. However, Chennai failed to collect the trophy by the barest of margins that season. Since then, Chennai has prevailed 130 wins from 213 matches with an unparalleled win percentage of 60.56. They have also conquered four IPL trophies and two Champions League T20 trophies. As Chennai kept on dominating season by season, their yellow fan army kept augmenting by ‘whistling’ for them. The four-time IPL champion also has a fleshy fan base of over 29 million followers on social media.
Chennai also holds the record of most playoffs appearances by any team. Despite being banned for 2016 and 2017, Chennai orchestrated into the playoffs 11 times in IPL history by also scripting a fairytale return in 2018. The only time they did not qualify for the playoffs was the 2020 season in UAE. All those triumphs, championships, dominance looked feasible only because of MS Dhoni’s hardships and competence. As Harsha Bhogle rightly pointed out, Dhoni’s retirement from captaincy is an “end of an era” expression for all the fans and franchise. Moreover, Ravindra Jadeja has a task to fill the big boots of MS as he takes over captaincy.
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On the bright side, Jadeja is the most experienced Chennai candidate who can lead the team after Dhoni. The 33-year old is the second-highest wicket-taker for Chennai with 109 scalps in 133 innings. He is also the fifth-highest run-scorer for the franchise. Batting at lower-middle order, he has secured 1,480 runs in 98 innings with a strike rate of nearly 200 in death overs. Jadeja has also produced immersive death overs batting over the years; he has smashed 22 sixes in the last over, which is the second-most by a Chennai batter. The left-handed batter was in sublime form during the India-Sri Lanka test series that concluded recently. He became the third Indian player to score a 150+ mark and took a five-wicket haul in the same test. Considering his recent form, Jadeja is a cracking choice to be the next captain, but only time will tell whether or not he is a captaincy prospect. Nevertheless, Chennai has a great squad on paper ahead of the 2022 season.
One of the strengths of Chennai was its ability to maintain or retain the core players or management. They hardly formulated any major changes in their squad from the inaugural season. Chennai likes to go with experience alongside nurturing young talents. Many talents like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Chahar, or even Ravindra Jadeja are the by-products of Chennai. With a mega-auction in hand, Chennai again had an errand of maintaining their core balance alongside creating a squad for the future years. Luckily, the ‘yellove’ had an admirable run at the auction table.
After a tussle with Bangalore, Chennai eventually had to unhand Faf du Plessis for seven crores. Nonetheless, they traded off Du Plessis with Devon Conway. The New Zealand wicket-keeper is the only player in the world currently who holds an average of 50+ in all three formats. He averages 63.9, 75, 50.2 in Test, One-day, and T20I respectively. Moreover, he has also secured an average of 56.5 in franchise cricket while playing for Wellington Firebirds, Southern Brave, and Somerset. The 30-year old plays with a scoring rate of 139 and can occupy the role of an opener alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad. The left-handed batter has also secured 1,979 runs in franchise cricket, including two centuries and 14 half-centuries.
Apart from Conway’s inclusion, Chennai has stuck to their old formula and managed to emulate their batting order from the last season. The inclusion of Odisha batter Subhranshu Senapati, Hari Nishikanti, and Shivam Dube can further flourish Chennai’s batting order. The Mumbai-based Shivam Dube can play the role of aggressor in the death overs and can be admissible with the bowl in hand. The 25-year old Subhranshu has secured 1,934 first-class runs, including five centuries and seven half-centuries. The right-handed batter also strikes with a handy scoring rate of 122 in the T20s.
Over the years, the primary concern for Chennai batters has been their scoring rate against leg-spinners. The penurious scoring rate against leg-spinners remains one of the drawbacks for this team up to this present day.
Chennai batters find themselves in a quandary when facing the leg-spinners. Even players like MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, who generally score at 135, are iffy against leg-spin. On the bright side, Chennai could rest on players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, and Robin Uthappa when playing leg-spin. All of them are exemplary players of spin and can pounce spinners by moving down the track.
Another shortcoming for Chennai can be attributed to the absence of Deepak Chahar this year. The 29-year old was recently caught in a quadricep tear during the India-West Indies series. Although Chahar might return for the second half of the tournament, his absence will create a dilemma of selection for Chennai. Chahar is considered the epitome of swing bowling in the powerplay overs. The right-arm medium pacer has secured 59 scalps with a dot ball percentage of 47.9 in IPL. The powerplay specialist also holds a remarkable record of bowling 20 dot balls in an IPL inning. With Shardul Thakur now relocated at Delhi Capitals, a lack of experienced Indian pace options has erupted for Chennai in the absence of Chahar.
KM Asif will likely return to the primary squad in place of Chahar. The 28-year old made his debut for Chennai in 2018 and has a knack for bowling at 135+ regularly. The right-arm bowler also picked up eight scalps in five matches while playing for Kerela. Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, and Simarjeet Singh are additional reinforcements who might get an opportunity in absence of Chahar. Hangargekar was a part of India’s U19 World Cup-winning campaign recently. The 19-year old anchored India’s bowling attack in U-19 World Cup 2022 by picking up five scalps in the tournament. The right-handed also proves effectual with the bat in hand. His 39 from 17 balls against Ireland, including five sixers, is an embodiment of that. Moreover, Hangargekar also had a great run at the recent U-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He picked up 19 wickets and secured 216 runs in eight games.
Similarly, the 26-year old Tushar Deshpande can swing the ball both ways alongside bowling at a moderate pace. The Mumbai-based cricketer made his IPL debut for Delhi Capitals in 2020. The right-arm bowler, however, had a forgettable IPL season as he administered only three wickets in five innings with an economy rate of 11.29. Simarjeet, on the other hand, can log at 140 kmph. The skiddy pace bowler has grabbed 37 first-class wickets in 11 matches with an economy rate of 3.51.
Moeen Ali is all set to miss the season opener for Chennai due to visa issues. That means Chennai would be strained to play with three overseas bowlers for the first match. Chris Jordan and Adam Milne are expected to make their debut for Chennai. Chris Jordan is often deemed for his deadly yorkers and slower ones in the finishing overs. The 33-year old is also the second-highest wicket-taker for England in T20Is with 80 wickets in 75 matches. The New Zealand pacer Milne also holds the ability to bowl at an expeditious 150 kmph. The 29-year old has picked up 73 wickets for New Zealand in white-ball cricket with an economy rate of 7.85 in T20Is. Maheesh Theekshana, the Sri Lankan off-spinner, could also feature in the playing eleven as an additional spin-bowling option.
Probable XI for the first game: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube/ Hari Nishikant, Ravindra Jadeja (Captain), MS Dhoni (WK), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne/ Maheesh Theekshana, KM Asif.
The legacy of Chennai Super Kings has been shifted to number eight from seven and Ravindra Jadeja will become the third player to captain this highly successful side. Moreover, Dhoni can also emphasize his batting, now that he has stepped down from captaincy. With an experienced squad this year, Chennai is once again favorites to lift another IPL trophy. If Chennai succeeds in addressing the necessary gaps, they could very well get their hands on the fifth IPL trophy. The 15th edition of the IPL is all set to commence from 26th March with the first game being played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.
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