It has been an abysmal season for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The Yellow Army, which has been the most consistent team in IPL history, having reached the play-offs in all ten editions that they have been part of in the tournament, has disappointed the fans with their performance so far in UAE as nothing seems to have gone in their favour.
CSK, as a brand and as a franchise, depend heavily on MS Dhoni to deliver the goods as a captain and as a finisher. However, it has been one of those seasons for CSK where even Dhoni – the most popular cricketer in the league, has failed to weave his magic.
Every season, while most of the franchises nurture youngsters, give them enough opportunities to announce themselves at the big stage, a statement from Dhoni which raised many eyebrows saw him saying the management did not see any spark in any of the youngsters this season.
“You don’t want to chop and change. Insecurity is something you don’t want to prevail in the dressing room. Also the youngsters, we didn’t see the spark to push the guys,” Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony after CSK’s loss against Rajasthan Royals.
Known for his sense of humour, every word that comes out of Dhoni’s mouth is usually a treat to hear for his fans. But the CSK captain, who for some reasons continued to back Kedar Jadhav — the most out of form CSK cricketer in the league who has just 62 runs under his belt in 8 games (Narayan Jagadeesan scored 33 runs in one match), continues to leave the fans and experts befuddled with his decisions and statements.
Ahead of the tournament, Ruturaj Gaikwad was one name everybody wanted to see in the CSK squad after Suresh Raina pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. Gaikwad, a consistent performer in India’s domestic circuit, had to wait for his IPL debut after testing positive for COVID-19 and when he did, he was dismissed for a first-ball duck against Rajasthan Royals. While Gaikwad was expected to open the innings for CSK, the management tried fitting him in the middle-order – a move which did not work. The youngster was given one more opportunity against Delhi Capitals and was dropped from the squad.
Narayan Jagadeesan, unlike Gaikwad, was impressive on his IPL debut as he scored 33 runs off 28 balls before being run-out against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Surprisingly, the debut match for Jagadeesan proved to be his last. Jagadeesan definitely showed some spark against RCB – who boast of a potent attack in Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini and Washington Sundar. He was the second-highest run-scorer for CSK in the match after Ambati Rayudu (42 off 40) and was also involved in a 64-run stand for the third wicket.
It might be the effect of the lockdown, or the fact that he last played international cricket in July 2019, Dhoni himself has witnessed one of the worst seasons ever on a personal level. Playing in India, while Dhoni remains to be a threat for any opposition irrespective of the venue, in UAE, Dhoni has found it difficult to get going.
Both Gaikwad and Jagadeesan played three matches in total and did not get any further chance to prove their mettle. For them to show some spark, the CSK team management also needs to give them enough opportunities in what is their debut season for the franchise.
It has been one of those seasons where CSK fans have been left disappointed as none of the players have managed to deliver results on a regular basis. A series of poor performances also reflected on the face of head coach Stephen Fleming – who was seen losing his cool at his players – a rare sight for cricket fans.
When Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh pulled out of the tournament, while their absence was expected to be a big blow for the team, with several experienced players in the squad, the three-time IPL winners were expected to produce a much better show than they have so far. Usually, among the top two teams towards the business end of the tournament, the tables have turned upside down for Dhoni & Co. – as the team is languishing at the bottom with just three wins from ten matches.
Whether or not they manage to climb the ladder remains to be seen. What also is yet to be seen, is whether CSK can identify players who can show ‘spark’ in the future with the side mostly comprising retired international cricketers.
Source: Times Now
