The next edition of the Indian Premier League is less than five months away, and the preparations are in full swing. Chennai Super Kings finished as the runners-up in IPL 2019 and would be hoping that they can go one step further in the upcoming season.
The auctions for IPL 2020 were held in Kolkata on the 19th of December, and every franchise did a lot of work. 62 players were sold during the auction with more than Rs. 90 crore spent by all the franchises combined.
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Chennai Super Kings spent nearly Rs. 15 crore and acquired the services of Piyush Chawla, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood and Sai Kishore. Before the auction, Chennai already had one of the strongest squads in the tournament and so they decided to retain a majority of their players. With the acquisition of four new quality players, they have made their squad even stronger.
Ever since the beginning of the IPL in 2008, CSK have been one of the most consistent and successful teams in the tournament. The secret behind their success has been a mix of many factors, and once again going into a new edition of the IPL they look like the strongest team on paper.
Here are three reasons why Chennai Super Kings are one of the most balanced and strongest teams in the league right now:
#1 Strong Indian core
The biggest reason behind Chennai's success has been its strong Indian core, and going into the 2020 season things look no different.
Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jhadav and MS Dhoni make for one of the strongest batting lineups in the league. Deepak Chahar, meanwhile, has been a revelation for CSK over the past two seasons and will look to continue his form in 2020.
The acquisition of Piyush Chawla has made their Indian spin bowling department even deeper. Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh already make for a very strong spin bowling duo.
Playing in tough Indian conditions versus the best players in the world requires experience and quality. Chennai's strong Indian core has both of those things in spades, which can help take them all the way to the title once again.
#2 Experience
The Chennai Super Kings squad consists of players who are mostly above 30 years of age. While injuries could be a concern for CSK, the experience that these players bring to the table is always a plus.
Overseas players like Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir and Dwayne Bravo have played more than 500 international games and over 300 IPL matches combined.
Apart from the overseas players, Indian players like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu and Harbhajan Singh have been a part of the IPL set-up since the beginning of the IPL in 2008, and have the experience of playing more than 400 IPL games combined.
In tough situations, experienced campaigners play a huge role in helping the team cross the line. And CSK have experienced campaigners by the truckload.
#3 Depth and balance
The IPL is a very long tournament, and even the best players in the business can get exhausted by the end of it. Thus, squad depth is one of the biggest factors behind a team being successful in the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings acquired four players at the recently concluded auction. A player like Sam Curran can play the role of a backup for Dwayne Bravo, who will be the first choice all-rounder in the team. Piyush Chawla meanwhile can be a very handy cover for Harbhajan Singh or Ravindra Jadeja. And finally, Josh Hazlewood can come into the team as a specialist fast bowler in place of Lungi Ngidi.
With a very successful IPL auction, Chennai Super Kings have ensured that they have immense squad depth to back up their already strong first choice XI.
Along with depth, CSK also have one of the most balanced lineups in the tournament. MS Dhoni generally likes to go with seven to eight bowling options and a deep batting order. CSK's first choice XI would consist of Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Raina, Bravo, Chahar, Chawla and Watson. Each of these players is more than capable with the bat as well as with the ball.
The presence of so many quality multi-dimensional players makes Chennai one of the most balanced teams in the tournament.
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