IPL 2020: 3 take-aways from CSK's list of retentions and releases

Chennai Super Kings have released five players and retained the rest ahead of the 2020 IPL auction. Sam Billings, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Mohit Sharma, Dhruv Shorey and David Willey are the five who find themselves in the list of CSK's released players.

After the pre-auction move, the Super Kings have an amount of Rs 14.6 crore in their kitty to spend on fresh recruits. There are a lot of expectations among the CSK fans as to what kind of players will enter the squad during the December auction.

When compared to other franchises, the Yellow Army have released a very small number of players. However, despite releasing fewer players, the team would be busy in the auction because they seem to have a solid strategy behind what they are doing.

Leaving the core players untouched, CSK have released all the underutilized performers in their squad. Therefore, having the same base, the team could further strengthen the squad structure in the auction.

In this article, we look at the three key take-aways from CSK's list of retentions and releases.

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#1 They might be looking mostly for backups at the auction

Tom Banton

CSK did not release any first-choice players from their squad, even the aging and out of form veterans. Therefore, it looks clear that the team could just be looking for backups to their first-choice players.

Interestingly, before the release date, CSK enquired with Somerset about the availability of their wicket-keeper batsman Tom Banton for the upcoming season. Once they got to know Banton's status, the franchise released Sam Billings from their squad.

Due to the presence of overseas veterans like Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, Billings wasn't a regular feature in the CSK squad. The same could likely happen to Banton if the MS Dhoni-led side secures him for the 2020 season.

Last season's under-performers like Kedar Jadhav and Suresh Raina have expensive contracts, so their retentions guarantee a regular spot for them in the playing XI. Therefore, expect CSK to buy mostly backup players at the upcoming auction.

#2 Getting a quality pacer could be in the plans

Mitchell Starc

Although there is a strong possibility of the team mostly targeting backup players at the auction, they could still look to secure a frontline pacer to bolster their bowling unit. CSK's pace bowling proved to be their Achilles' heel during the previous season, so they do need reinforcements in that area.

Lungi Ngidi's injury ruled him out of the 2019 season and without the young overseas pacer, the team struggled to get breakthroughs. Dwayne Bravo (11 wickets in 12 matches) and Shardul Thakur (8 wickets in 10 games) were just about average in the previous season.

With 22 wickets in 17 matches, Deepak Chahar was the only ray of hope in an otherwise dismal fast bowling department. However, Chahar lacked support from his partners, and so his contributions did not have a significant effect.

The team has freed up a hefty sum of Rs. five crore by releasing Mohit Sharma, and they also have two overseas slots available. Therefore, a good pace bowler like Mitchell Starc or Sheldon Cottrell could come in handy for them.

#3 CSK will remain an aging team for a while

CSK players celebrating a wicket (Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPLT20.COM)

CSK have retained all their aging players, which suggests they are not looking at a transition any time soon. Furthermore, by releasing young players, the management has shown their trust and confidence in seasoned veterans.

CSK's trend of preferring experience over youth is likely to continue for a few more seasons. Even in the upcoming season, besides skipper MS Dhoni, veterans like Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir and Shane Watson could be the first choice players to feature in the Playing XI

Such confidence in aging players might be a result of their performances. Then 36-year-old Watson was instrumental in CSK's 2018 title win as he scored a 57-ball 117 in the final match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile the 40-year-old Tahir was the leading wicket-taker of the 2019 season and hence won the Purple Cap.

Other veterans have also contributed immensely to the team, so we can expect CSK to remain a "Dad's Army" for a few more years.

Yes. The Daddies Army will be a year older. 💛

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) November 7, 2019