'Dad's army' Chennai Super Kings show the value of balance by lifting IPL 2018
A blazing century by Shane Watson helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lift their third IPL title, bringing to an end one of the most keenly contested editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was fitting that CSK, which made a comeback to the IPL after a two-year suspension and was ridiculed as "Chennai Senior Kings" and "Dad's Army" due to many players in the team being above the age of 30, won the trophy.
However, the script wasn't so easy for CSK as it might seem now. Right after the players auction, CSK pick New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner was ruled out of the IPL because of a knee injury. Kedar Jadhav, after playing a match-winning cameo against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening game, was ruled out of the tournament because of a hamstring injury. South African skipper Faf du Plessis was already nursing an injury when he joined the CSK squad. As if the injuries were not enough, the team had to move their home base to Pune from Chennai because of security issues after playing just one match in the city.
However, on the ground, the team was focused on doing what they are known for - winning matches. They were able to win those key moments under pressure which decide the fate of any match. And it is here that the experienced players - who earned the team ridicule - came handy.
Before this year's IPL, CSK had been part of eight editions of the tournament, out of which they had won two. It has always been a team with a strong batting line up and at least a couple of good all-rounders. And this year's IPL was no different.
With match winners like Watson, Rayudu, Raina, Dhoni, Bravo, Jadeja In their side, it had a lot of firepower in the batting department. And they all stood up, at one point or another, to win matches for their franchise.
Dhoni, the charismatic captain, was back in yellow and it felt as if that was all he needed, to find back his mojo. While Dhoni's captaincy in this format has hardly ever been under scrutiny, it was his batting which people had started questioning in recent times. By playing his role of a finisher to perfection and showing the destructiveness of an old, long-haired Dhoni in batting, he might have calmed a lot of nerves in the selection committee for the Indian team. His captaincy was spot on, as usual. Having too many all-rounders in the same team can create a problem of plenty for a captain. But he used them well as per the conditions and match situation, at times not even hesitating in getting one of the bowlers go unbowled. The trust he showed in youngsters like Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Sam Billings, Lungi Ngidi and Shardul Thakur also had a big role to play in the team winning the T20 league.
Despite having a lot of match winners, CSK was never over-dependent on one player to win matches. The team was able to find its balance and was not afraid of chopping and changing the playing 11. Ambati Rayudu had a breakthrough season, but the team found different players taking up the responsibility of winning matches whenever needed.
Watson, Raina, Dhoni, Billings, Bravo, Jadeja, all of them almost single-handedly won some of the matches. However, Faf du Plessis' 67 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first qualifier, after being out of the playing 11 for most of the tournament, epitomized the spirit of CSK.
A lot of credit also has to go to the team owners for showing faith in the players. They retained or managed to get back most of the core CSK players, barring Ashwin, in the auctions which helped them continue from where they had left in 2015. Even the coach and support staff weren't changed. CSK have managed to create a strong team culture where players are able to give their best. No wonder the team has one of the strongest fan bases.
Taking into consideration the age and fitness, it might not have some of the players from its current squad in IPL 2019. However, they need not worry about it now. This is CSK's moment and it is fitting that the team will go back to Chennai on Monday to celebrate it with its loyal fans.