The Indian Premier League is just a day away. And the team that is most excited for the cricking extravaganza to start is Chennai Super Kings (CSK). MS Dhoni and his boys will be ready to defend their crown as they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening game of the tournament.
Despite plagued by injuries, Chennai Super Kings boast of having a strong squad. This is primarily owing to the fact that the team was quick and highly strategic in making their picks in the IPL 2024 Auction. The Yellow Army bolstered their squad by acquiring players that slot directly in the team and also providing substantial depth in their bench depth.
How Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 2024 look?
CSK has the most versatile and the balanced squad compared to other teams in IPL 2024. This makes them front runners to go and defend their title. Be it the able batters, to mighty all-rounders or the heroic bowlers, CSK as it all. Add to it the flair and the X-Factor that goes by the name of Mahindra Singh Dhoni. All these factors make CSK the team to beat for the season.
At the top of the order, CSK has the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Ajinkya Rahane. While Conway is out injured, fellow Kiwi star batter Rachin Ravindra will slot in with Gaikwad to form a formidable opening pair. Rahane rediscovered his form under MS Dhoni and will slot at 3. Able all-rounder Shivam Dube who is now fit from his side stress finish the top order.
Down the order comes in Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, and Ravindra Jadeja. If the middle order doesn’t scare off other teams, then the lower order surely will. The batting abilities of Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar means CSK has batting strength till number 9. Add Sameer Rizvi as an impact player and CSK has 10 players to bat for them.
The bowling strength is equally good. Daryl Mitchell is a strong all-rounder, known to finish games and pick wickets at regular intervals. Fellow Kiwi Santner is a threat in the middle overs. The Lankan duo of Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana adds a huge dynamic to the team in the death overs with the addition of Mustafizur Rahman. Lastly, comes the bowling all-rounders Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar who are able wicket takers.
CSK’s Performance in Last years
‘Consistency’ is the word that goes hand in hand with Chennai Super Kings. A record 5 times champions, only tied with Mumbai Indians. Moreover, CSK now has the squad and the chance to make it 6 times heading into IPL 2024. In their previous 14 seasons, the team has failed to make it to the playoffs only twice.
They kickstarted their campaign in 2008 when they ended up being runners-up to Rajasthan Royals. Come the next year they were knocked out from the semis. In 2010 and 2011, MS Dhoni guided his side to back to back winners titles’. 2012 and 2013 saw CSK being runners up.
2014 saw CSK being ousted from the playoffs and in 2015 the Yellow Army finished as runners-up. The team was suspended for two years in 2016 and 2017. They returned back with a bang to clinch their 3rd title in 2018. Next year they finished as runners up yet again. In 2019, the team failed to reach playoffs for the first time in their career. 2021 they came back strongly to win. 2022 they again failed to reach playoffs and in 2023 they heroically won the title for the fifth time.
Team CSK SWOT Analysis:
Strength
Batting – CSK has one the strongest and balanced batting lineup in the tournament. Despite missing Devon Conway, the team has no reason to panic. The other players are enough to fill in for the gap. Be it the middle order or the lower order, CSK has the capacity to send 10 batters among their 11 players in the team.
All-Rounders – CSK has a plethora of all-rounders. Imagine a team having the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Daryl Mitchell, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Moeen Ali. That is Chennai Super Kings. Such has been the abundance of quality of players in the team, it will be a tough job for Dhoni in selecting his best Playing XI.
X-Factor – The name that is synonymous with CSK – MS Dhoni. The Man, The Myth, The Legend has been a faithful servant for the yellow army. In what can probably his last dance, the 42-year will continue to hold the reins for the team. His unique game assessment ability, coupled with his wicketkeeping and of course his finishing ability, makes him the ‘Thala’ for a reason.
Weakness
Injuries – The only thing that is a blob in the otherwise perfect setup is the injury concerns in the team. Devon Conway underwent a finger surgery and will take 8 weeks to recover. This means that he will miss almost the opening half of the season. Matheesha Pathirana – dubbed as the new Malinga suffered a hamstring injury of late. This can rule out the Lankan pacer for a couple of opening games.
Bangladeshi Pacer Mustafizur Rahman too suffered horrific cramps in his last game against Sri Lanka. This raises concerns about his fitness. The pacer is currently travelling to India to join the Yellow camp. It is unlikely that he will feature in the opening game of the season.
Check Out Latest CSK News Here –
CSK’s Key Players
Ravindra Jadeja – The ace all-rounder needs no introduction from anyone. Be it ODIs, Tests or T20Is, Jaddu has rocked all three formats of the game equally. His destructive batting and match finishing abilities with his tendency to consistently pick wickets make him the most dangerous player in the CSK roster.
MS Dhoni – He might be 42-years old, but that doesn’t mean he is not capable anymore. In fact, in what could be his Last Dance, Dhoni will be more determined to perform well for his team. The former India skipper will be eyeing to create history as he targets to win the IPL title for a record 6th time.
CSK Squad For IPL 2024 –
MS Dhoni (c), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.
CSK Fixtures in IPL 2024 –
| DATE | Day | Time | HOME | AWAY |
| 22-03-24 | Fri | 20:00 | CSK | RCB |
| 26-03-24 | Tue | 19:30 | CSk | GT |
| 31-03-24 | Sun | 19:30 | DC | CSK |
| 05-04-24 | Fri | 19:30 | CSH | CSK |
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