CSK give a glimpse of a thrilling future

Kolkata: MS Dhoni might again be captain by default, but he is nearing 44 and battling a weak knee, which means he isn’t as effective in the death overs as he used to be. The eye for potential is razor sharp though, allowing Chennai Super Kings to live in hope that under Dhoni will emerge another crop of cricketers who can be an asset for the foreseeable future.

The win at Kolkata gave a brief glimpse to that promise — Urvil Patel setting up the chase with an 11-ball 31 and Dewald Brevis finishing it with a 22-ball half-century. Add Ayush Mhatre to this conversation and we are already talking three fearless batters with an average age of just under 23 but with strike rates well north of 150.

Which for CSK is huge because they have a history of picking overseas allrounders and rejuvenating the careers of Indians, decisions that aren’t always statistically backed as well.

Breaking that mould was necessary, and probably better if it would happen under Dhoni. He hasn’t beaten around the bush either, accepting that CSK need to change or sink. Which is why Dhoni has gone in for wholesale changes, all youngsters, and all batters because that’s where CSK has been most vulnerable in a season where their powerplay run rate before the KKR match was 8.1.

“The thing is these are the players who are part of us right now... so we have got an opportunity to test them,” Dhoni said after their two-wicket win on Wednesday. “You may see them in the nets, you may see them in the practice game, but nothing like a real match, you know, so we are out of the tournament, we had three games (remaining), so you give them a chance and see how they react.”

In the context of the chase, Patel’s response clearly took KKR by surprise. If lifting Vaibhav Arora off his pads for a six over midwicket in the first over was bold, startling was the way he could clatter Harshit Rana’s slower ball for another six. This, after Moeen Ali was not allowed to settle in the only over he bowled at Patel, conceding 6,4,6 in three consecutive deliveries.

Signed as a like-for-like replacement of wicketkeeper Vansh Bedi, Patel had made quite an impression in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 315 runs in six innings at an average of 78.75 and strike rate of nearly 230. The potential was too good for CSK to not make an offer.

“It’s not the technical aspect,” said Dhoni. “What we want to see is the approach and the mental toughness because that’s what really counts. It’s not the most technically sound batsman who scores a lot of runs, but somebody who’s more game aware. You know who understands what the bowler is looking to do, if he sets up a field, okay according to this field you know what he will bowl. What is a bluff ball? You know nowadays it’s big.”

Brevis is cut from the same cloth. Scouted into the system by Mumbai Indians, he was signed as a replacement for Gurjapneet Singh as a batter with a reputation of getting under the skin of bowlers very quickly. That was evident in the over against Arora, where Brevis went 6,4,4,6,6,4. Add to that the scintillating 94 by a 17-year-old Mhatre against RCB, and CSK may have in their hands a few diamonds in the rough. Who better than Dhoni to guide them in the nuances of this format?

“What is important is to be practical, identify what has gone wrong,” said Dhoni. “We have 25 players who can fill in and I was focusing on that. We want answers for next year, which batter can slot in where and which bowler can bowl where according to the conditions.”

Wins like this always infuse a sense of positivity, said Michael Hussey later.

“They’ve (the younger players) had a positive impact on the team,” he said. “They’re highly motivated to do well. They’ve created energy around the group, because when you’re in this position, sometimes the energy of the players can just go downhill very quickly. But this injection of some youth has really invigorated everyone.”

It’s clear Dhoni isn’t going anywhere. And while this may already be a failed campaign for CSK, gleaning the positives from it in preparation of a better future is something no one does better than Dhoni.