The first day of the auction was a little underwhelming for the defending Indian Premier League champions. Chennai Super Kings spent Rs 14 crore to bring back Deepak Chahar, but this auction was about building a squad and CSK chief executive Kasi Viswanathan admitted that they were a little concerned after Day 1.
CSK got their house in order on Day 2, taking their buys to the maximum squad limit of 25 players. The four-time champions returned from the auction with a very balanced squad, good enough to yet again contend for the title. CSK brought back some of their experienced players and backed it up with youth, with an eye to the future.
What has added solidity to the CSK squad?
Their squad depth… They have alternatives for almost every position. For example, Ravindra Jadeja is CSK’s marquee spin-allrounder, retained for Rs 16 crore. But they picked Mitchell Santner also, a like-for-like replacement and an excellent back-up with big international experience. Similarly, the franchise picked Shivam Dube for Rs 4 crore and at the same time, added Dube’s Mumbai Ranji team-mate Tushar Deshpande to the squad for Rs 20 lakh, another like-for-like option.
“We wanted a team which will have back-ups for every slot. All the players are playing so much of cricket throughout the year, by the time they come to the IPL, there may be some injury concerns also. So, we wanted to be sure that we have back-ups for every player. This is one of the reasons why we went for 25 players,” Viswanathan told The Indian Express,
What gives the CSK squad the right balance?
The team has eight genuine all-rounders with international experience – Jadeja, Chahar, Santner, Dube, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Dwaine Pretorius. They form the backbone of the CSK side, providing their skipper with an overload of options to make the batting order flexible, use the bowlers as per situations and conditions, and also allow squad rotation. The IPL this time is longer with 74 matches and keeping players fresh would be important.
“That was what we stressed upon and according to the captain and coach, every player will have a role,” said Viswanathan.
Why did CSK go big for Chahar?
The team management looks at him as a very important cog in the wheel. Chahar is a genuine swing bowler and in the last two ODIs he played, the 29-year-old showcased his batting improvement. “See, the way MS (Dhoni) uses him in the Powerplay, he is a wicket-taking bowler upfront. Also, he has shown his value as a lower-order batsman, playing for India. We wanted to have him,” Viswanathan elaborated.
Does CSK’s scouting method give them an edge?
Some domestic players CSK picked at the auction came from Indian cricket’s backwaters. For example, Subhranshu Senapati, picked for Rs 20 lakh, is a batsman from Odisha with a decent first-class and white-ball domestic cricket experience. C Hari Nishaanth (Rs 20 lakh), an Ooty boy and a left-handed opening batsman, cut his teeth in domestic cricket a couple of seasons ago and also became a Tamil Nadu Premier League regular. Mukesh Choudhary from Bhilwara, Rajasthan, bowls left-arm medium pace.
CSK, run by seasoned cricket administrators, takes its scouting of domestic cricketers down to the club level. The franchise’s parent company India Cements has 15 clubs in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association league. “We have a good scouting team which helps us in identifying domestic talent. Some of those players we bring them as guest cricketers for our clubs, so that we can watch them throughout the year, how they improve and how they can contribute. The final decision is taken only by the captain and the coach,” Viswanathan explained.
How availability of players impacted CSK’s auction strategy?
For the last two seasons, the team had suffered from players pulling out or not being available throughout the season. So, they were very conscious this time about the availability factor. CSK went for New Zealand players like Devon Conway, Adam Milne and Santner; players who would come to the IPL after completing their domestic season. The two England players, Moeen and Jordan, don’t feature in Tests and by the time white-ball internationals start in England, the IPL will be over.
“We checked the availability in the players’ list and thought that those who would be available throughout the season would be helpful,” said the CSK chief executive.
Did CSK aim to plug some gaps?
The team didn’t have raw pace in their ranks and suffered from its absence in the death overs in the last two seasons. The inclusion of Milne (Rs 1.9 crore) and Jordan (Rs 3.6 crore) can fill the void. Viswanathan confirmed it.
Will CSK miss Raina?
Towards the end of last season, Suresh Raina was dropped for Robin Uthappa and it looked like the former’s race was run. This auction attested that, the left-hander going unsold. Raina is a CSK legend and every member of the franchise hugely respects his contribution. But this was an auction to move on.
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“Raina has been the backbone of our team for the last 12 years. So it will take some time before we get a (proper) replacement,” Viswanathan admitted.
In the twilight of his career, does Dhoni still remain CSK’s x-factor?
Such is the respect for the man that CSK are still not even thinking about a successor and will look into the future only after Dhoni hangs up his boots. The franchise CEO confirmed that Dhoni and head coach Stephen Fleming have the last word on every cricketing matter.
The skipper’s handling of Uthappa last year could be a good reference point about his captaincy x-factor. Uthappa’s low scores were ignored in the lead-up to the knockout rounds, as Dhoni allowed the batsman to get into the groove. He knew that the playoffs and the final would be played on good pitches. Uthappa scored a 44-ball 63 against Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 and took the game away from Kolkata Knight Riders, through his 15-ball 31, in the final.
Will Dhoni pick and choose his games this term?
The way CSK went for some wicketkeepers at the auction, including Quinton de Kock, it felt like their captain might be thinking about phasing himself out, picking and choosing games this year. Ultimately, they landed Conway for Rs 1 crore, someone who apart from opening the innings, is an occasional ‘keeper as well.
Viswanathan allayed the concern. “No, no, he (Dhoni) will play all the matches. There’s no doubt. Conway comes in as an opening batsman to partner Ruturaj (Gaikwad). We don’t have Faf (du Plessis) and Conway is coming in his place. He is one of the most consistent batsmen in all formats of the game.”
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