Chennai Super Kings IPL Team

The MS Dhoni era at Chennai Super Kings is still not quite over. Entering the 18th year of this iconic partnership, the legendary wicketkeeper-batter was retained at INR 4 crore after a rule was put in place that seemed to benefit him and CSK the most. Regardless, though, this wasn’t a move based on pure sentimentality or for a farewell: Dhoni wants to step out of cricket on a good note, and for one of the winningest players of this generation, that can only mean with a sixth IPL trophy to his and his team’s name.

CSK fell agonisingly short of the playoffs last year, but the good thing about an organisation that knows its own strengths and weaknesses as well as CSK does is that reproducibility and the ability to come back strong every year is unlike any other. Such is the continuity with Dhoni in the leadership group and Stephen Fleming as coach. Alongside Dhoni, CSK retained captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and exciting Sri Lankan seamer Matheesa Pathirana to cover the overseas pace bowling.

However, when it came to the auction, CSK didn’t really look to break the bank, instead going for subtler and cheaper moves without really going after the big guns on offer. Their two biggest buys were spinners, Noor Ahmad and Ravichandran Ashwin, who makes a return to Chennai to form a dangerously good spin troika that will be the heart of CSK’s game plan.

Accompanying Gaikwad once again at the top will be Devon Conway, although Rachin Ravindra could edge out his Kiwi teammate not too dissimilarly to how he did so in the Champions Trophy. Sam Curran could provide the final overseas option, extending an already long batting and providing new ball overs alongside Khaleel Ahmed, who will be hoping that a spell at Chepauk resurrects his national team career.

Closing out the team are some reliable domestic options such as Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda, who can fill out the middle order for reliable runs at a very solid run-rate, but CSK are missing that out-and-out finisher to bank on for runs late in the innings. A lot will depend on how well Jadeja and Dhoni are able to do with the bat, but both these Chennai heroes have been a little hot and cold. There’s not a lot of power in this Chennai team, and that could be an important element in away games, but expect the old-school slow turners in Chennai that will neutralise opposition power bats and place a premium on players who can build innings gradually.

The men in yellow are always favourites to make deep runs in the IPL, a tournament they are so familiar with, and that is usually irrespective of the teams they put out. Their aim is always to play good consistent cricket and put themselves in a position to go ahead and find themselves in positions where they can rely on star power and clever cricket to push for wins. Not a team you can ever count out.