Chennai Super Kings looked like the champion it usually had been all these years: Sunil Gavaskar

Before the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was postponed, the three-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were enjoying a dream ride in the tournament. The franchise was proudly placed at the second position on the points table with five wins from seven fixtures. It was a massive comeback for the Super Kings after a torrid outing in the previous season.

CSK succumbed to a forgettable run in the 13th edition of the T20 extravaganza, hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The franchise failed to find the winning rhythm and ended up in the second-last position on the points table with just six wins from 14 matches. However, CSK managed to bury the demons of the past behind to script a memorable comeback in IPL 2021.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar seemed highly impressed with the performance delivered by MS Dhoni & Men as he lauded them for playing like champions. “All the other teams were in top form with last year’s disappointing team, Chennai Super Kings, looking like the champion it usually had been all these years. There was a renewed energy about the team this time, though there were no major changes to its squad,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar. 

The promotion of Moeen Ali turned out to be a masterstroke: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar spoke at lengths about what went right for the three-time champions. The veteran believes that promoting Moeen Ali up the order was a masterstroke as he produced some spectacular knocks to stable the team’s batting order. He also lauded Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Sam Curran for their blistering form.

Opining on the areas the team needs to improve, the former skipper said that Chennai should work on their death bowling as in the match against Mumbai Indians they failed to defend a target as high as 218 runs. 

“The promotion of Moeen Ali to the top of the order at No. 3 turned out to be a masterstroke as the left-handed batsman produced some blistering innings. The seasoned Faf du Plessis was in cracking form, too, and, along with the promising Ruturaj Gaikwad, gave the team some top starts.

“Sam Curran continues to impress and improve with every game and bids fair to be considered a proper all-rounder now. It’s the final overs’ bowling that the side needs to strengthen as was evident in the match against Mumbai when, despite scoring 218, it lost the game off the last ball,” Gavaskar stated.

Cricketers turned politicians