The three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has been going through some rough few weeks ahead of the IPL 2020. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, CSK suffered a huge blow when their deputy skipper Suresh Raina withdrew from IPL 2020, and Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for COVID-19.
However, if a team can come out swinging after facing a difficult situation, it is CSK. The 3-time IPL champions have always shown that they can get things done, although they haven’t even started training for this edition of the tournament yet. In this article, we carefully analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the CSK squad ahead of IPL 2020.
Strengths
#1 Chennai Super Kings has the best spin attack
There is no denying the fact that CSK has unmatched versatility and experience in their spin attack, which comprises of Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner, and R Sai Kishore. With pitches in the UAE low and slow, these spinners can wreak havoc like they have done so many times in the past.
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With MS Dhoni behind the stumps, CSK has arguably the greatest captain, who has the brilliance of using his spinners well. Dhoni has the impeccable ability of reading of the game and restricting the flow of runs in the middle overs with the masterful use of spinners,
#2 Experience
While it is justified to claim that CSK hasn’t been recruiting foreseeing the future, it would be foolhardy to not recognize the experience the players of the team bring to the table. With experience playing in every possible condition, “Daddies Army” will perhaps turn out to be their biggest strength in the unprecedented times that IPL 2020 is taking place in. CSK’s experience has served them well in the past and will, in all likelihood, continue to do so in IPL 2020.
Weaknesses
#1 Pace Attack
It is clear as a day that Chennai Super Kings has a lose fast bowling attack despite the acquisitions of Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood in the 2020 IPL auction. While Curran can be expected to play a crucial role, Hazlewood doesn’t have a lot of T20 experience. Deepak Chahar has been their only consistent performer, but he is currently recovering from COVID-19 and perhaps he will be missing some initial games. His partner-in-crime, Shardul Thakur, has economy rates of over 9 in IPL and that makes CSK’s case weaker.
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Dwayne Bravo recently became the first bowler to scalp 500 wickets in T20 cricket but he is losing his mettle with his growing age, although he will be expected to provide crucial breakthroughs. CSK’s lack of depth in the pace department could haunt them in IPL 2020.
#2 Fielding
The age factor will be helping in terms of experience for CSK, it can have an adverse effect on their fielding. The likes of Chahar and Thakur have had to man the boundaries because players like Shane Watson and Kedar Jadhav have their hamstring issues. The fielding, which could cost them 15-20 runs each time, has further been worsened by Raina pulling out of the tournament.
Dhoni is certainly of the opinion that these players will be punching above their weight in other departments, but if Imran Tahir, Piyush Chawla, and Shane Watson (no disrespect to them, of course) all take to the field at once, it won’t be a sight that will please CSK fans in terms of fielding.
Chennai Super Kings Squad for IPL 2020
MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, M Vijay, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Kedar Jadhav, Lungi Ngidi, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Monu Kumar, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Sam Curran, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore
