IPL is all about tense moments, unbridled excitement and last ball finishes which shoot up the adrenaline into the sky. Cricket fans in India were worried if they’d miss their favourite stars in action because of COVID outbreak. But the BCCI is not disappointing them. With eyes set on advertising revenue and TRP ratings, the cricketing body is all set to organize the annual tourney in UAE beginning 19th of September. The buzz has begun and fans are all thrilled!
Though a total of eight teams are taking part in the IPL, fans opine that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) remains favourite to win the title. Below are the 6 reasons why…
- The Dhoni factor
Often called as ‘Thala’ by his fans, Dhoni has been an invaluable asset to the team since the beginning. He has always delivered the goods when the team needed him the most. With his batting histrionics and sharp cricketing brain, he has won many matches single-handedly. Dhoni steered CSK to three IPL titles in 2010, 2011, & 2018. Besides that, CSK has ended as runner-up on five occasions. These numbers demonstrate why he continues to be an asset for the team. Fans are eagerly waiting to see him back in action in the 13th edition of the IPL. Dhoni last played against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi finals which India lost by 18 runs.
- Strong recruits
It came as a surprise to many when CSK picked Piyush Chawla because the team is already equipped with spinners of much variety. The CSK management sees Chawla as a back-up for Harbhajan Singh or Jadeja but might as well play along with them considering the slow nature of pitches in UAE.
The Chennai franchise has also picked Josh Hazlewood in the last auction. The Australian bowler will open bowling with Lungi Ngidi. England’s all-rounder Sam Curran is another valuable buy for the CSK. His inclusion gives Dhoni more options when it comes to the selection of the playing XI.
- Experienced spin bowlers
They have six world-class spinners in their squad – Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Karan Sharma, and Piyush Chawla.
The conditions in UAE will suit CSK spinners because the wickets tend to get slower as the tournament progresses. South African spinner Imran Tahir picked 26-wickets and won the purple cap in the 2019 IPL tournament.
- Quality Fast bowling
The CSK’s fast bowling lineup is filled with formidable names such Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran. Deepak Chahar grabbed 22 wickets and finished third on the top bowlers list in 2019 edition. Sam Curran made his debut in 2019 representing the Kings XI Punjab where he claimed a hat-trick against Delhi Capitals. The CSK are pinning big hopes on this youngster.
- Top class all-rounders
CSK has some of the best all-round talents in the form of Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, and Sam Curran. These players can contribute both with the bat and ball. They all are proven match-winners and will spare no effort in their collective pursuit of glory for the team. Dhoni especially places a lot of belief in the ability of Dwayne Bravo who had pulled out CSK from many precarious situations by producing brilliant performances.
- Strong batting line-up
CSK is a batting powerhouse. Apart from Dhoni, they have the likes of Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, and Murali Vijay who have regaled the audiences with their hitting ability. With experience of playing together since a long time, it can be safely assumed that they know each other’s strength and will complement well during tough situations, especially the knock-out games.
With a well-balanced team like this, CSK will be the team to beat in this IPL.
Squad:
MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, R Jadeja, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Karan Sharma, Imran Thair, D Chahar, L Ngidi, Shardul Thakur, M Santner, Sam Curran, M Vijay, J Hazlewood, R Gaikwad, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, Monu Kumar, and R Sai Kishore.
