IPL 2019: Do Chennai Super Kings have the team to defend their title this season?

Fast bowlers

CSK have a good mix of fast bowlers. One of their best moves during the 2018 auctions was the selection of Lungi Ngidi, the young tearaway South African quick. Ngidi was one of the top performers in the 2018 season, picking 11 wickets in 7 games.

There is also David Willey, who can swing the new ball and usually picks a wicket or two up front. Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar are promising young Indian fast-bowlers who can bowl consistently over 140 kph. Thakur is being groomed by the experienced Dhoni during the death overs.

Mohit Sharma was picked up by CSK and that is a very smart move considering his skill with the old ball as well as the new ball. Monu Kumar from Jharkhand is a promising young bowler who has played with Dhoni before. Watson and Bravo will come in and do their usual stuff.

Even though CSK's bowling options looks good, the absence of a tearaway quick apart from Ngidi might haunt them in the death overs.

Spinners

Imran Tahir

Dhoni loves controlling the game through spinners, and always tries to ensure he has the best spinners in his team.

Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir are two world-class spinners in their ranks. Harbhajan is one of the most experienced cricketers around and bowls in the powerplay and also in the middle overs. Tahir, meanwhile, is a wicket-taker and bowls economical spells.

Ravindra Jadeja has been Dhoni's go-to man when it comes to stifling runs and breaking partnerships. Mitch Santner is a good T20 bowler who hardly leaks runs. Karn Sharma is there in the mix too, and provides another wrist-spin option.

Kedar Jadhav and Suresh Raina can bowl some useful overs and lend balance to the side.

CSK's spinners make a good case for them to be favorites again in IPL 2019.