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Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has realised that. After a glorious run to the title last year, the current set-up was expected to do a double and, in return, give their Thala the deserved send-off.
But Thala MS Dhoni’s career has been such that he has been at the bitter end of all his last games—the 2019 ODI World Cup or now the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Just as he was walking back to the dressing room, you can’t help but shed a tear or two because what will the IPL be without one of its coolest customers? What’s a salad without a good cucumber?
CSK has overperformed in this cycle, but one would have hoped they made it to one last IPL final at Chepauk. But a bitter loss at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) leaves a terrible aftertaste.
The Good
Ruturaj Gaikwad, a decent trailer as CSK captain
Just on the eve of the mega event, Dhoni threw a bombshell that he wouldn’t captain the five-time IPL winners anymore. Thus began a journey of ups and downs for Gaikwad, who was now thrown into the deep end with a tall task.
But in his first season, Gaikwad showed some steely nerves, including inspired bowling changes. The biggest positive was that the 27-year-old’s batting abilities weren’t too affected by the burden of captaincy. As Gill and numerous other first-time captains would attest to how tough it is, Gaikwad solidly went about his business, scoring 583 runs. If not for his numerous partnerships with Dube, who had a season to remember, CSK might have been in trouble during the early half of the tournament itself.
Also Read: There’s no way India can ignore Shivam Dube 2.0
However, there are still some concerns over his ability to chase down a mammoth target, something to keep an eye on.
Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande - two strong displays
Throughout last year, Tushar Deshpande was a walking meme in IPL fan circles. The economy rate strolled out whenever his wickets were brought to the fore. However, this time, it was different. He had the fifth-best ER in the powerplay (8.2) alongside his six wickets. His returns were quite the effort at the death (16-20 overs) —10 wickets @15.9 and ER 9.6.
He stood his ground in a season where the ball flew to all parts of the ground. In just 13 games this year, Deshpande tallied 17 wickets, with a better average (24.94) and an ER (8.83) than last year—26.86 and 9.92, respectively.
One of the major reasons why CSK’s pace bowling unit clicked this year was because of Matheesha Pathirana. Pathirana picked up 13 wickets in just six appearances, with an ER of 7.7 - the second-best for pacers in IPL 2024. His ability to nail the yorkers at his own will is commendable, and he could be one of the first names for retention for the franchise.
The Bad
Not having a set role for overseas batters
While overseas batters have underperformed in this year’s campaign, it wasn’t just their mistake. If you look at it microscopically, they weren’t quite utilised in a role they would succeed in. It was almost like putting a fish in a marathon and asking it to come out unscathed.
Nearly 30% of the innings Daryl Mitchell batted this year were No.5 or below, where his impact was almost rendered ineffective. While that isn’t to say that the Kiwi batter looked out of sorts in patches this year, it is more about giving their costliest signing at the auction the cushion to succeed.
It was no different with Rachin Ravindra, who was dropped after just six matches this year. While Ravindra severely underperformed in those four games leading up to his drop (2, 12, 15, and 21), he showed more intent in the season than Ajinkya Rahane, someone CSK trusted till the end.
Poor form and lack of role clarity led to their dismal batting show.
Gaikwad’s lack of trust in spinners
What do you identify Dhoni’s CSK with? Chokeholding opposition to near none with spin units.
But what do you identify Gaikwad’s CSK with? Not trusting his spinners enough.
It was evident in the 2024 IPL, with spin no longer being an integral part of the franchise. CSK’s spin unit had the second-lowest wickets (14) in the competition. But the fun part about that is they also had the best ER (7.7) for a spin bowling unit. Despite that, this lack of trust became visibly evident.
Integral to CSK’s past success, Ravindra Jadeja only took eight wickets, averaging a staggering 46.1 with an ER of 7.9. Six of his eight wickets came in extremely spin-friendly conditions. Barring that, his impact wasn’t as useful. Even when the track was helping the spinners, Jadeja put on a terrible show, which resulted in CSK’s elimination against RCB.
The Ugly
Deepak Chahar fails to turn up
It isn’t just this year; Deepak Chahar has failed to turn up (year after year) in this cycle. Despite being the frontline pacer of this set-up, Chahar has only donned the CSK jersey on 18 occasions since IPL 2022. An average of just six games across three seasons, Chahar’s problems with injuries persisted.
Known as a powerplay specialist, the Agra-born bowler didn’t quite light up the tournament, with 15 wickets in 18 appearances and an average of 26.4 in that phase. Even in this IPL, he could only pick up five wickets before walking off with an injury that prematurely ended his tournament.
The 14 crore investment Chahar proved to be quite the disaster for the Super Kings.
Jadeja’s finishing abilities
CSK take great pride in Jadeja’s all-round abilities. But this year, Jadeja has reaffirmed that his finishing skills have waned to the point where he isn’t even smashing the full tosses. With a minimum of 50 balls at the death, the average strike rate for a finisher at the back end is 192.19. But Jadeja struck at just 167.9.
He also had the fourth-lowest balls/boundary (5.3) in that phase. That figure was also inflated due to his performance in the last game of the season when he scored 34* off 16 at the death. Before that, the left-hander could only score 11 boundaries across eight games, a grave concern for the Super Kings.
Jadeja is a health indicator for the franchise, and his waning powers could jeopardise CSK’s future.
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