IPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) managed to get back a large part of their last edition’s core in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. The yellow army went into auction with a total purse of INR 48 crore after retaining Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The franchise also had a good auction as they were able to purchase back  Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, and Dwayne Bravo, who had played major roles in their title-winning season in 2021.

As the franchise failed to bring back their long standing former opener Faf du Plessis, CSK has roped in a somewhat like-to-like replacement in the form of New Zealand opener Devon Conway. Bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner and his teammate Adam Milne were other Kiwi’s signed up by the yellow camp . The likes of Shivam Dube and Dwaine Pretorius will be looking to fill in the role of all-rounder alongside Dwayne Bravo, Jadeja and Moeen.

Deepak Chahar, who was purchased by CSK at a whooping price of INR 14 crore is set to lead the bowling attack for the team alongside Chris Jordan and Milne. Among domestic players, CSK invested in Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Subhranshu Senapati, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan and K Bhagath Varma.

Here’s the full Chennai Super Kings squad:

Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c), Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, and Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaant, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma.

Here’s a SWOT Analysis of the CSK squad for IPL 2022:

Strengths – Experience and depth in batting order 

CSK is always known to go for experience as compared to young blood. The franchise under the leadership of MS Dhoni has done exceptionally well in past tournaments, barring their 2020 season where they finished at the seventh position on the points table.

As it has been witnessed in the past, tight finishes are a frequent phenomenon in the IPL.  Thus, the rich experience that the squad possesses will be one of their top strengths in the upcoming IPL season. CSK have many seasoned pros in their squad this year including Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu and Mitchell Santner who have been a part of this tournament for years now.

Another strong point in the Super Kings squad is their batting depth. It is expected that new addition Devon Conway will be opening the innings with Ruturaj Gaikwad. The middle-order will be held by experienced players like Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa and Moeen Ali. The franchise will also be looking to get a strong finish from MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube.

Weaknesses – Death Bowling

Death bowling is a major concern for the franchise going into the tournament. CSK has roped in Chris Jordan and Tushar Deshpande to address the issue with all-rounder Dwayne Bravo playing a supporting role in the bowling unit. However, it has been seen in the past that both Jordan and Bravo can also be taken to cleaners.

Pacer Tushar Deshpande who was part of the Delhi Capitals last season has bowled in the death overs for the franchise, but he still lacks experience and can go for runs as well. Hence, Deepak Chahar will have an additional responsibility to take wickets at regular intervals and stem the flow of runs.

It is also to be seen how skipper Dhoni will use the available spin options like Jadeja and Moeen during the middle phase of the match. Mitchell Santner, who is known for his ability to fox the batters, can also be a good option to bowl during the first six over field restrictions.

Opportunities – Golden chance for Indian batters

With T20 World Cup approaching this year, the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube have a golden chance of presenting their case and gaining the selectors confidence. Uncapped players N Jagadeesan and Tushar Deshpande can also use the given opportunity to showcase their talent in the biggest T20 league of the world.

Following the conclusion of IPL 2022, the Indian cricket team will also square off against South Africa in a five-match T20I series, before touring England to play the rescheduled fifth Test match along with three T20Is and equal number of ODIs before the start of all important 2022 T20 World Cup.

With the selectors giving chances to the in-form players, the above mentioned names could potentially boost their slim chances of playing in the global event. It will be interesting to see which Indian batter makes the most out of this opportunity.

Threats – Too many foreign options

One of the issues, which the franchise will need to address is to finalize their four overseas players. While Moeen Ali and Dwayne Bravo are two overseas players who are likely walk into the squad. The franchise will also be looking to fill in the void of Josh Hazlewood replacing him with death-over specialist Chris Jordan.

With three places already filled in the squad, it would possibly be a toss up between Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius and Mitchell Santner. However, Kiwi opener Conway, who has shown his mettle at the international level, is likely to be the top choice to open the innings alongside Gaikwad.