IPL 2023 Auction: SWOT Analysis of Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a season to forget last time around, as they finished in ninth position. Ravindra Jadeja also decided to give up the captaincy midway through the tournament as they weren't getting the desired results.
However, MS Dhoni is set to be back at the helm for what could be his final IPL season. Chennai will return to their home ground in Chepauk and will be keen to win a record-equalling fifth IPL title.
The Men in Yellow did snap up England all-rounder Ben Stokes for a whopping INR 16.25 crore, raising quite a few eyebrows. However, there might be a bigger plan ahead by potentially grooming Stokes as CSK's future captain. They also made some smart buys with the remaining money.
On that note, let's take a closer look at how the CSK squad could fare in the IPL 2023 season:
Strength: Depth in experience and big-match players
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Ben Stokes' heroics in the T20 World Cup final proved once again why he is the man of the big occasions for England. Chennai Super Kings already have a number of experienced players in Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali and MS Dhoni, and Stokes' addition is the icing on the cake.
Stokes can bat anywhere in the top order and that gives Chennai an option to let him open with Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Indian batter himself broke multiple records in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with Maharashtra. Ajinkya Rahane's addition also gives them an experienced backup, something that the franchise has always believed in.
Weakness: Bowling still looks a bit weak on paper
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Chennai have a whole host of spinners like Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, and Maheesh Theekshana. They have made sure that they have the ammunition to dominate teams on the turning track at Chepauk.
However, their weaknesses can be exposed when they play on pitches that offer even pace and bounce and not much help for the spinners. On such tracks, wrist spinners are pretty handy, but they don't have many options apart from the inexperienced Prashant Solanki.
CSK have made a smart addition of Kyle Jamieson to their bowling attack, but he has played very little T20 cricket. They still haven't been able to replace the quality of Josh Hazlewood. They could probably also feel the pinch of Dwayne Bravo's absence.
Opportunity: U19 stars can shine for CSK
Showstoppers of the U19 Finale 🤩
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The likes of Shaik Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu have joined Rajvardhan Hangargekar as the youngsters from the Indian U19 team to watch out for. Hangargekar didn't get a single game last year, but this time he could become a handy bowling all-rounder in Bravo's absence.
Matheesha Pathirana, the Sri Lankan U19 star, was impressive in the little game time that he got last season. These youngsters will have a massive opportunity to settle into the Chennai core for the foreseeable future.
Threat: Injury scare to key players with lack of quality backups
CSK should pray for these things now:
Stokes availability.
Jadeja's form.
Deepak Chahar availability.
Having snapped up Deepak Chahar for a whopping INR 14 crore last year, CSK made the new-ball bowler their priority. However, an injury meant that he was unavailable the whole season and Chennai clearly struggled in his absence.
Although they have the likes of Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh, Chahar's quality is just on a different level. The all-rounder is arguably injury-prone and a long-term injury could once again impact their season.
The Super Kings also don't have quality backups for other important players like Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Ben Stokes. So any kind of injury to the players in the first XI could see them struggle once again.
IPL 2023 auction CSK team
MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Verma.