IPL 2021: 3 Teams that can give a tough fight to CSK in the tournament

Chennai Super Kings are the second-most successful IPL team of all time having lifted the trophy on three occasions. After winning the title in 2010 and 2011, they went on a seven-year trophy drought before winning it in their comeback year, 2018.

They have qualified for the playoffs on 10 occasions out of a possible 11. The only time they didn’t qualify was last year, showing how dominant they have been. The absence of key players and the fact that the tournament was held in the UAE seemed to have affected them. However, their squad is much better than a seventh-place finish and a return to India will be a huge advantage for MS Dhoni’s team.

The likes of Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham are only going to strengthen the team, and the return of Suresh Raina will be a massive boost to their batting lineup, which failed to deliver the goods last season. All in all, CSK have a pretty good squad, and one can expect them to challenge for the title. However, they will obviously have stiff competition for the trophy.

Here’s a look at 3 teams that can give the Super Kings a tough fight for the IPL title:

1. Rajasthan Royals

RR have been quite poor since they won the title in 2008 and have struggled to reach those heights. They haven’t even finished in the top two since then and have qualified for the playoffs on just three occasions. The Rajasthan-based team finished eighth on the points table and it was evident that something had to change.

They have appointed Sanju Samson as captain and roped in Kumar Sangakkara as one of the key men behind the scenes. They had a really good auction and managed to buy the likes of Chris Morris, Shivam Dube and Mustafizur Rahman. Their starting XI could potentially have batting depth till No.9 and as many as nine bowling options. Having such a team is quite important in T20s as it gives one plenty of flexibility when needed.

An opening combination of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler has the potential to destroy any bowling attack and they have a solid Indian middle order of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia. Chris Morris and Jofra Archer are not just two of the best bowlers in the league, but they are also effective with the bat in hand as finishers. Their Indian bowling contingent of Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi and Chetan Sakariya has great potential as well.