IPL 2022: 3 selection mistakes CSK have made this year
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are known as a side that get the basics right in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Until IPL 2022, they had played all seasons with the same captain and a relatively similar core, backing their players through thick and thin en route to four titles. However, as MS Dhoni attempted to oversee a period of transition by handing over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja, things started going pear-shaped for the Men in Yellow.
The captaincy change hasn't been the only time CSK have shot themselves in the foot this year. Various dubious selection calls and questionable in-game decisions have led to the Super Kings having one foot out of the IPL playoff door.
Here are three glaring selection mistakes CSK have made in IPL 2022.
#3 Devon Conway was dropped after just one game
As they say, hindsight is a beautiful thing. At the time, it seemed like CSK had made the right call by dropping Devon Conway immediately after the season opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders. They needed to exhaust a few overseas slots to plug a few holes in the struggling bowling department, while Robin Uthappa started positively as an opener.
However, Conway has been so impactful since his return to the playing XI that it's impossible to wonder what could've been had he been backed throughout. With three half-centuries on the trot, the Kiwi batter has played long innings that have helped CSK post big totals and win two of those games. He has also forged an excellent understanding with Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose form has also seen an upswing.
Conway got married midway through the season and wasn't available for all of CSK's games, but perhaps the think tank got it wrong at the start.
#2 Chris Jordan was picked over Dwaine Pretorius
Chris Jordan was unavailable for the first few IPL 2022 games but once he recovered from a medical condition, CSK fast-tracked him into the playing XI. That was despite Dwaine Pretorius giving a good account of himself in his debut season with the Super Kings.
Most fans knew how the decision would play out, with Jordan having a reputation for being horribly expensive at the death in both franchise cricket and on the international stage. Things inevitably unraveled against the Gujarat Titans when CSK were in a commanding position but plummeted to a demoralizing loss as Jordan conceded 58 runs in his four overs.
It was not like the Englishman had been in good form, either. He had leaked 20 runs in two overs against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and 34 in three against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, with his lines and lengths being all over the place.
CSK were made to pay for what was undoubtedly a terrible lapse in judgment.
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#1 Maheesh Theekshana wasn't picked at the start of IPL 2022
CSK's first three games in IPL 2022 saw them play without mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana. In his and Deepak Chahar's absence, the Super Kings completely lacked any powerplay threat, picking up only two wickets - both against the Punjab Kings - over the three matches. To make the decision even more inexplicable, CSK's spinners scalped only two wickets.
That was always going to be the case, too. Ravindra Jadeja's T20 bowling stocks have taken a massive hit over the last few years, while Moeen Ali wasn't available for the first two matches. Mitchell Santner played only the second of those three games.
Theekshana has had a massive impact since entering the fray for CSK. He has recorded 12 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 7.41, all while bowling tough overs in the powerplay and at the death. The 21-year-old was desperately needed as an X-factor bowler at the start, but the Super Kings realized that three matches too late.