IPL 2020: 3 CSK players who were major disappointments
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might have avoided the wooden spoon in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) thanks to an abysmal performance from the Rajasthan Royals in their final league game, but it did nothing to mask the nightmare season MS Dhoni's men had.
Failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history and losing 8 of their first 11 games, CSK were clearly among the worst teams in the competition. The old guard that the Men in Yellow have trusted over the last couple of years turned out to be their downfall, with lack of match practice and rustiness clearly visible.
The change in venue to the UAE and the positive COVID-19 tests ahead of IPL 2020 certainly hampered the performances of a number of players. Here are 3 CSK players who were major disappointments in IPL 2020.
Note: Kedar Jadhav would've made this list in a heartbeat, but given that he didn't even strike at above 100 in IPL 2019, were his nightmare performances really that unexpected?
#3 Piyush Chawla - 6 wickets for CSK in IPL 2020
The second-highest IPL wicket-taker among spinners and third-highest overall. Piyush Chawla made a big-money switch to CSK ahead of IPL 2020 with the spin-friendly pitches at Chepauk in mind.
And although the venue shift to the UAE saw some spinners struggle, the leg-spinner, who has played 164 IPL games in his career, should've had a far bigger impact.
Deployed alongside Ravindra Jadeja initially, Chawla received an early mauling at the hands of Sanju Samson and the Rajasthan Royals. The performance wasn't a one-off as he managed just 6 wickets in 7 games at an economy rate of over 9 - his worst returns from a single IPL season. Even in the field, he was a clear liability for CSK.
Unable to extract turn, Chawla couldn't even fall back on his most trusted weapon - the googly. The 31-year-old was often far too full or far too short, and wasn't able to hit the right lengths consistently.
In the absence of veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, Chawla was expected to justify his hefty price tag at CSK. He failed miserably in this regard, especially when you consider his stature and record in the IPL.
#2 Shane Watson - 299 runs for CSK in IPL 2020
Shane Watson's debut season with CSK back in 2018 saw him score 555 runs in 15 games, with his match-winning hundred in the final against the Sunrisers Hyderabad capping off a marvellous comeback season for the Men in Yellow.
But since then, the burly Australian has been on a steady decline. Watson managed 398 runs last year, and many of these runs once again came in the final against the Mumbai Indians. IPL 2020 saw him register one of his worst individual seasons - 299 runs in 11 games at an average of 29.9 and a strike rate of 121.05.
Oppositions often found it all too easy to use matchups against Watson, with his struggles against the incoming ball and against quality spinners often leading to his downfall. The issue of his front leg falling over continued to plague him, and he was unable to put away even the bad balls.
Of course, Watson offers nothing with the ball nowadays, and found himself parked at short third-man or short fine-leg for the majority of IPL 2020. The 39-year-old's decline was on display for all to see, and whether he has a future at CSK or in the IPL remains to be seen.
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#1 MS Dhoni - 200 runs for CSK in IPL 2020
In a team that saw very few batsmen step up, MS Dhoni was expected to be the exception from the norm.
The CSK skipper's form was a major talking point coming into the tournament, and most fans believed that he would still be able to replicate the form he showed in the last IPL despite last playing a competitive game back in the 2019 World Cup.
However, things couldn't have gone worse for Dhoni. With just 200 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 116.27, the former Indian skipper was a shadow of the man who managed over 400 runs at an average of 83.2 the year before.
Dhoni found himself unable to rotate strike against the spinners, and often perished while attempting the big shot. Even against the pacers, he struggled to deal with changes of pace and length, often heaving across the line in uncharacteristic fashion.
Dhoni may have hit a few sixes here and there, but the rust was there for all to see. With the next IPL coming up in a few months, the 39-year-old has a lot of work to do in order to get back to form in the absence of international cricket.