Age might catch up finally with MS Dhoni's CSK

A SWOT analysis of Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2020

In the ten seasons (they were banned for 2016 and 2017) that they have been part of the Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings have made it to the play-offs each time. They have been runners-up five times and winners thrice. Not always have they had a perfect squad or a perfect tournament, but have somehow found themselves in the top four of the table. This season, they have been marred by the twin withdrawals of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh, but trust skipper MS Dhoni to overcome the losses in the way only he knows.

Strengths: What this team lacks in terms of youth, it makes up in form of experience and match-winners. Dhoni, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, M Vijay, Imran Tahir… these guys know a thing or two about winning matches. Majority of them are on the wrong side of the thirties but as they have shown in the last two seasons, age is just a number. Less travelling this season will suit them the most. They have added Josh Hazlewood to their fast-bowling unit and that could be a big plus.

Weaknesses: Raina is an IPL legend. His withdrawal from the IPL is bound to be a great setback for CSK. A gun batsman and fielder and a more than handy bowler, Raina is just the kind of player that any T20 team would want to have in its ranks. He formed a formidable partnership with Dhoni in the middle-order and has more than 5000 IPL runs. His loss leaves a huge hole in the CSK batting order. Only time will tell if anyone will be able to fill that hole or not; his absence might even prove decisive for CSK this season.

Opportunities: The former India chief selector MSK Prasad had come under a lot of criticism for the manner in which Rayudu was ignored from the squad for the 2019 World Cup. This IPL is an opportunity for Rayudu to prove those critics right. He was CSK’s top-run-getter in 2018 with 602 runs but didn’t have a great 2019 with just 282 runs. He had reacted angrily to his exclusion from the World Cup squad; this is his chance to channelise that anger and get big runs for himself and CSK this season.

Threats: At times, your greatest strength can be the greatest threat. While experience matters, youth has its own charm and space in any sport. There is no denial that Dhoni is known to make the best use of resources, but one look at the squad and it seems that this time even he might find the going tough.

Squad: MS Dhoni (c), Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Piyush Chawla, Kedar Jadhav, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Sam Curran, M Vijay, Josh Hazlewood, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jagadeesan N, KM Asif, Monu Kumar, R Sai Kishore

Support Staff: Stephen Fleming (Head Coach), Michael Hussey (Batting Coach), L Balaji (Bowling Coach), Eric Simons (Bowling Consultant), Rajiv Kumar (Fielding Coach)