Image Credit- AP
On the third day of
a Twenty20 match in Ahmedabad, MS Dhoni’s team defeated Gujarat Titans to win
their fifth IPL title and tie the Mumbai Indians.
Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, the heroes of the New Zealand ODI World
Cup, joined CSK when Ben Stokes and Dwaine Pretorius were released. In addition
to replacing the injured Conway at the top, Ravindra can bowl fast left-arm
fingerspin, allowing CSK to choose to start Mitchell in the XI rather than
Moeen Ali. A player who excelled against spin in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali
Trophy and the UP T20 competition, Sameer Rizvi cost CSK a lot of money as
well.
At the auction in
December last year, CSK also snapped up Mustafizur as a back-up for Sri Lanka
slinger Matheesha Pathirana. Plus, Shardul Thakur returns to CSK after two
seasons.
Due to a thumb
injury, New Zealand’s Devon Conway, who doubles as an opener, will not be able
to play in the IPL until May. Shivam Dube has been receiving rehabilitation at
the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after missing the Ranji Trophy
knockout stages due to a side strain. Whether he is ready to lead CSK into the
tournament on March 22 is still up in the air.
The BCB has allowed Mustafizur Rahman to participate in the 2024 Indian Premier
League from March 22 to May 11. He may depart the league early in order to get
ready for Bangladesh’s tour of the USA for the T20 World Cup.
Dhoni and Stephen
Fleming have assembled a different team that features a variety of
spin-hitters, spin bowlers, and batting depth all the way down to No. 10 or
No.11, taking into account the possibly slow surfaces in Chepauk. Recall how
Tushar Deshpande, playing for Mumbai against Baroda in the Ranji quarterfinal,
struck a career-high 123 from No. 11?
In the ODI World Cup in India last year, Ravindra and Mitchell, two newcomers
to CSK, shown their ability and disposition to counter spin. Most spin types in
the attack are handled by Maheesh Theekshana (mystery spin), Moeen Ali
(offspin), Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal
(left-arm fingerspin), and Prashant Solanki (legspin).
Deepak Chahar, who
hasn’t participated in a competitive game since December 2023, will be quite
formidable. After an injury and rehabilitation, Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet
Singh have a longer road ahead of them. Since December 2022, neither seamer has
participated in a competitive match.
A hamstring issue kept Pathirana, CSK’s chosen death bowler, out of the third
Twenty20 International match against Bangladesh in Sylhet earlier this month.
Will he be ready for the IPL to begin?
Ruturaj Gaikwad, the opener, is now recuperating from a finger injury. This
year, he has only engaged in one competitive game. Even Dhoni is recovering
from knee surgery.
Ajinkya Rahane’s recent form is patchy: he managed only 214 runs in 13 innings
in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 17.83. His numbers weren’t flash either in
the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali tournaments.
CSK’s season will
begin with a pair of home games against Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers
Bangalore at Chepauk. After that, on March 31 in Vizag against the Delhi
Capitals, and on April 5 in Hyderabad against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, they
will travel. Once the dates of the national elections—which are anticipated to
take place in April and May—are announced by the Election Commission of India,
the schedule for the second half of the competition will be anticipated.