Back in the mix and raring to go
After serving out a twoseason ban, Dhoni’s team will gun for glory again
NEW DELHI: After being out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the 2016 and 2017 editions due to the spot-fixing scandal, Chennai Super Kings, the two-time champions, are back in the mix.
They have got their core group back as they retained MS Dhoni, handing him the captaincy, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja while getting back all-rounder Dwayne Bravo using the Right To Match (RTM) card in the auction. Super Kings also retained another batsman Faf du Plessis through the RTM card.
The franchise did let go one of its key players R Ashwin but got back another local favourite in Murali Vijay who played a big part in the two title runs. Super Kings played their cards well in the auction, as they focused on retaining their top stars and then built a side around it, picking several all-rounders.
The batting line-up is impressive with the presence of Vijay, Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Du Plessis and an accomplished finisher in Dhoni.
The experience of Shane Watson will come handy although they lack depth in the pace attack. It will be an opportunity for the likes of promising South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi, who was picked at his base price of ~50 lakh, and England pacer Mark Wood to step up and deliver.
In the spin bowling department, they have experience, variety, and guile with leg-spinner Imran Tahir and veteran Harbhajan Singh in the ranks.
Dhoni, who has become synonymous with Super Kings, will be eager to prove himself after being dropped from captaincy last season at Pune Rising Supergiant. He was replaced by Steve Smith as leader of the side.
Under Dhoni’s leadership from 2008 till 2015, CSK were the only team to reach the play-offs in every edition which they played. After an absence of two years, the Men in Yellow will be determined to repeat the success in the past and challenge the rest of the teams. At home, Dhoni’s men are virtually unbeatable and this statistic was highlighted brilliantly in 2011 in which they won all eight of their home fixtures during the league stages.
The entry of CSK also renews a southern rivalry named “Cauvery derby”. The much-anticipated clash between CSK and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore has always been the marquee contest in this tournament and fans will once again see Dhoni square off against Kohli. Tomorrow: Kolkata Knight Riders