Since the inception of the IPL, the Chennai outfit holds the records of most appearances in the playoffs (10) and the final (8).
A below-par season in the UAE may have dinted their acclaimed IPL record but the three-time champions, led by 'Thala' MS Dhoni, will look to get their old-self back in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) edition.
After Dhoni hung up his boots on a 16-year illustrious career for India, fans had hoped to see greater things in the IPL 2020. Things however didn't go their way as CSK finished at the seventh spot, missing out on the playoffs for the first time ever. Since the inception of the IPL, the Chennai outfit holds the records of most appearances in the playoffs (10) and the final (8).
From multiple members of the CSK contingent testing positive for COVID-19 to missing the services of players like Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh -- The Yellow Army had to deal with a couple of hiccups too. Dhoni himself had a forgetful season with the willow, managing to score just 200 runs in 14 games at an average of 25. Dhoni, however, had made it clear in CSK's last IPL 2020 fixture that it was 'definitely not' his last appearance in the yellow jersey.
With a couple of additions for this year, CSK will set eyes on the fourth IPL trophy. During the recent mini-auction earlier this year, CSK got hold of England all-rounder Moeen Ali for INR 7 crore, apart from Karnataka all-rounder K Gowtham (INR 9.25 crore) and Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 50 lakh). The Yellow Army also got hold of Tamil Nadu batsman C Hari Nishaanth, Harishankar Reddy and Bhagath Varma (all for INR 20 lakh).
CSK did release some of the old guard too. While Shane Waston announced retirements from all forms, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay and Harbhajan Singh have had their associations ended. Though the average age of the current CSK squad is on the higher end, they've got prospects like Ruturaj Gaikwad in the batting department. The 22-year-old opening batsman had scored 204 runs in six games last season, including three consecutive half-centuries.
CSK could go with Ruturaj at the top, with either Faf du Plessis or Robin Uthappa as his partner. Uthappa, traded to Chennai by Rajasthan Royals before the IPL 2021 auction, was in sensational form. In the last six List A games, Uthappa has scored two tons and two half-centuries for Kerala. Pujara, playing for the first time in the IPL since 2014, will also be eager to get as much game time as possible.
After missing the last IPL season, CSK vice-captain Raina will be raring to go this year. The left-hander is among the top-scorers of the tournament, having scored 5368 runs in 193 games so far. Raina will bolster the CSK batting unit along with Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali at the No.4 and No.5 position. Rayudu, scoring 359 runs in 12 games, was among CSK's top performers last season. New recruit Ali has also been in decent form, producing a six-filled cameo in the Chennai Test against India. Batting at No.9, Ali slammed five sixes and three fours in his 18-ball 43, and the explosive knock also featured three consecutive sixes off debutant Axar Patel.
The lower-order will be steadied by the experienced duo of Ravindra Jadeja and skipper Dhoni, followed by an in-form Sam Curran. The all-rounder played a brilliant knock in the ODI series decider against India, hitting an unbeaten 95 and single-handedly dragging England back into the game. Similarly, Jadeja, recovering from a thumb injury, was impressive during the Australia tour.
Considering his ability to bat, Shardul Thakur at No.9 will prove extremely handy for the CSK side. Shardul will likely operate in tandem with Deepak Chahar. If CSK also accommodate Lungi Ngidi (overseas pick who is unavailable for the opener) in the latter stages of the tournament, du Plessis would make way for Uthappa at the top.
CSK will miss the services of Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, who has decided to withdraw from the IPL considering the hectic international schedule across 2021. On the spin-bowling front, it will be a toss-up between Imran Tahir and K Gowtham. They also have Mitchell Santner as a useful all-around option.
While IPL 2021 is set to start from April 9 in Chennai, Dhoni-led CSK will begin their campaign an evening later when they take on the previous season's runners-up, Delhi Capitals, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chennai will be playing their first five games in Mumbai, before playing their next four at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla.
CSK will then play three matches in Bengaluru before finishing their league stage assignments in Kolkata with two matches. Their last match will be against southern rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Full Squad:
Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Robin Uthappa, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, R. Sai Kishore, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Harisankar Reddy, K. Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishanth
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Predicted Playing XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa/Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran/Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir/K Gowtham, Deepak Chahar.
