Over the years, CSK have always been one of the most balanced sides in the league, this season being no exception. The champions of the 2018 edition have pretty much stuck to the same squad that won them the league last year.
CSK have always been synonymous with consistency. They have always been consistent, both, with their squad as well as their performances. Since the inception of the league, they have followed the pattern of having a settled core and having value additions to their squad each year. This season, they have got back Mohit Sharma in their ranks. He is back to the team where it all started for him and should be hoping to get a good run under MSD’s leadership.
Team after 2019 Player Auction
In:- Mohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaekwad
Out:- Mark Wood, Kanishk Seth, Kshitiz Sharma
Chennai Super Kings – 2019 Squad
Strengths
MS Dhoni’s leadership is CSK’s biggest strength. He has led them to the IPL finals 7 times, turning out victorious in 3 of those attempts. No other captain in the history of IPL is even close to MSD’s record.
Having the core group intact year in and year out has worked wonders for the franchise as there are clearly defined roles for each one of them. This also makes it easier for new players joining the squad as they are seen to quickly adapt to the team requirements.
The opening combo of Rayudu and Watson worked like magic the previous year and CSK would be banking on the duo to come good this year as well.
Weakness
Their death bowling, as in the last season, is a bit of worry. Although Mohit Sharma and DJ Bravo have pretty good records when it comes to death bowling, with Bravo being exceptional for a really long time. Both of them seem to have lost their mojo lately. It remains to be seen whether Dhoni places trust on his experienced men or if he manages to unearth another gem.
With Ngidi gone, CSK have only Willey and Bravo as their two overseas pace bowling options. Opening the bowling, Ngidi played a significant role in CSK’s title run last year. Although Willey can also do a decent job opening the bowling, he can be a tad expensive a lot of times. So, it remains to be seen whether the think-tank will make do with Willey for the entire tournament or if they sign up another quick.
Predicted Starting XI
Shane Watson
Ambati Rayudu
Suresh Raina
MS Dhoni(c/wk)
Kedar Jadhav
David Willey
Dwayne Bravo
Ravindra Jadeja
Shardul Thakur/ Mohit Sharma
Deepak Chahar
Imran Tahir
Chennai Super Kings – IPL Schedule.
Expected position at the end of the league stage – Play-offs