For Chennai Super Kings, âClass of '18â ending one year too late would spell trouble
If you are an ardent CSK fan, you will remember the team in two phases - one that dominated in two consecutive seasons and one that is threatening to put that legacy to shame. But one thing makes the current team different from the classic sides - age, which, unfortunately, is not on their side.
That is exactly where the problem lies - despite making it to the final in two consecutive seasons, one against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, CSK will not be a force to reckon with next season. To even say such a ludicrous statement, one must be a fanatic, given that they have proven to match-winners. There lies the point - the team was built in such a way for them to bow down post the 2020 edition.Â
But, as it stands, that looks like a distant dream for them, with the Indian Premier League looking likely to be delayed till next year. Look at the team closely - they have Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu up top, with even Faf du Plessis content with a place on the bench, and last season, Chennai Super Kings, according to Cricvizâs analysis, only scored 18.68 runs in the powerplay in the middle half of the season.
And if you have watched any bit of T20 cricket, you would realise that the opening six overs often sets the tempo for the rest of the innings. Despite that, they did qualify and did it in convincing style, thanks to their seven home games. Imagine, should the tournament be pushed to next year, they will have two players opening the innings, one who has already retired from international cricket and the other who is not even close to getting a place in the Indian team.
If you think that is bad, their middle-order will have MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Suresh Raina. The last time I remembered, the duo of Jadhav and Dhoni played for India in T20Is way back in 2019. And talk about Raina, his last game came in Bristol, 2018 against England. So, already, that leaves them with a batting-order that has plenty of international experience but not fitness.
Their bowling attack, however, is far-far better, comprising some of the top international stars, but still has its own shortcomings. Take Imran Tahir, for example. The 41-year-old Tahir, who is in contention for the T20 World Cup in Australia, has not had any international experience under his belt since the 2019 World Cup. All in all, that removes all the good aspects that helped them in the 2017 IPL, which is the experience of the players, alongside them being fit. Moreso, it will have a telling effect on their fielding, which, if you recall, was already terrible last season, given that age was not on their side.Â
But thatâs not it all. In the past two seasons, they have been world-beaters at home, where they have won 91.6%. Their closest competitors are Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have won only 67.8% of all their home games. But in stark contrast, Sunrisers have international players who are actively playing international cricket for their national sides.Â
That is not the case with the Super Kings, however. And while their closest and fiercest competitors, Mumbai Indians, have stacked their cards heavily this season, their auctions strategy has been largely based on getting players at a young age from the domestic setup. After playing for the franchise, they become world-beaters, be it Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik or Krunal Pandya.Â
When you talk about some of the weakest teams in the tournament, there is the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Rajasthan Royals. Yet, when you glance a look over their lineup, you would find that most of their players are internationally active, moreso physically at their peak. RCB, this year, added Aaron Finch, Kane Richardson, Josh Philippe, Chris Morris to their lineup.Â
CSK, on the other hand, have added Piyush Chawla, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood and Sai Kishore. While Curran and Hazlewood are active in international cricket, Chawla has not made an Indian appearance in so many years, with Sai Kishore yet to make one. A quick glance over Mumbai Indianâs squad - with their squad-power and the international stars that they have - paints a picture, one that reveals that it would be really tough for CSK to fight them head-to-head.Â
It is being slated everywhere - even on the boards - that âForm is temporary, Class is permanent.â But really, is it, given that these players will have to stretch themselves to the limit next year if they are to stand a chance to compete against the other sides. If the season starts as soon as, say, April, things will be different, as it will allow them to make plans for the future. But as it stands now, it really has a big impact on the teamâs chances of winning the title next season, given that their players would not be in the best of shapes.Â