Chennai Super Kings are a juggernaut and when on a roll they are almost impossible to stop. MS Dhoni led his team to yet another final but their old nemesis, Mumbai Indians, managed to stop them again. This was CSK’s fifth loss in an IPL final and third at the hands of MI. With the team managing to keep its core intact, CSK will once again be a serious challenger for the title. As has been the case in the past few auctions, CSK didn’t spend a lot. Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood and England’s Sam Curran were brought in, along with veteran leg spinner Piyush Chawla.
Squad: Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif , Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay, MS Dhoni (c), Josh Hazlewood ,Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Imran Tahir , Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore
Suresh Raina: Suresh Raina has been an important cog of CSK since its inception and has been one of the leading run-scorers for them in almost all the seasons. The southpaw ended the 2019 season with 383 runs in 17 matches, which was his second lowest aggregate in a season. With the Team India ship having long sailed away, IPL is Raina’s only ticket to stay relevant and he needs to deliver for his team.
Imran Tahir: The South African leg spinner picked up 26 wickets last season, which is the most for a spinner in a single IPL season. The leggie will be a big threat yet again on the slow and sluggish surface in Chennai. His partnership with Harbhajan Singh will be one to look out for yet again.
Shane Watson: The big hitting Aussie opener is nearing the end of a decorated career and he would want to bow out in style. Watson’s virtuoso knock inspired CSK to the title in 2018 but he couldn’t replicate the same year. Watson managed to resurrect his international career with th IPL and he would want to bring the curtains down on his glorious playing days with yet another stellar season.
Dwayne Bravo: The West Indian spent most of last season on the bench due to an injury and he would be raring to go this year. Back in the Windies fold as well, Bravo’s change of pace with the ball has been a big weapon. He continues to be one of the biggest match winners in the shortest format.
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