IPL 7 Team Profile: CSK

The Chennai Super Kings already have two IPL wins and one Champions League T20 triumph under their belts. They also hold the distinction of having reached the playoffs in every edition of the IPL and they have appeared in the last four consecutive finals. However, the team in yellow, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, have failed to win in the last two editions due to poor performances in the finals.

As a result, the team has gone for a shakeup this time around, spending nearly their entire quota of 60 crores in the player auction. While they retained their top five players in the form of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo, they let other familiar faces like 2013 Orange Cap winner Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay and Albie Morkel depart to make room for fresh blood.

Their purchases this season include Brendon McCullum, Faf Du Plessis, Dwayne Smith, Ben Hilfenhaus, Samuel Badree and Ashish Nehra. The logic behind their purchases was clear to see. Chennai has always prided itself on its strong batting lineup and they maintain that same level of quality that they have had in the previous seasons. Meanwhile, they have made efforts to strengthen their fast bowling department, which is their biggest weakness.

In Ben Hilfenhaus they have a fast bowler with the quality to spearhead the attack. Captain Dhoni will also be hoping that seamer Mohit Sharma continues in the fine vein of form that he displayed in last years’ IPL. Dwayne Bravo, who was awarded the Purple Cap for most wickets taken last year, will undoubtedly be a major contributor with the ball. Veteran pacer Ashish Nehra has been bought so as to provide his experience to the squad, and we may also see uncapped bowler Ishwar Pandey feature for the team.

The spin department of the CSK is formidable. Led by Ravichandran Ashwin, who was undoubtedly India’s most reliable and consistent bowler in the World T20, it also features all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and part-timer Suresh Raina, both of whom are regularly called up by Dhoni to contribute with the ball. They have another world class spinner in Samuel Badree, the current world No. 1 bowler in T20 format, who may be given a start alongside Ashwin on the more spin friendly tracks this tournament.

The batting department is full of explosive players, any one of whom can win a match single handedly on their day. We will probably see Dwayne Smith and Faf du Plessis open the batting, with Raina, Bravo, Dhoni and Jadeja to follow. Promising youngster Baba Aparijith is widely expected to be a regular in the Chennai squad and we may see heroics from him both with bat and ball.

Players Retained: MS Dhoni (Rs. 12.5 crore), Suresh Raina (Rs. 9.5 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs. 7.5 crore), Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs. 5.5 crore), Dwayne Bravo (Rs. 4 crore).
Players Bought: Faf du Plessis (Rs. 4.5 crore), Brendon McCullum (Rs. 3.25 crore), Dwayne Smith (Rs. 4.5 crore), Ashish Nehra (Rs. 2 crore), Mohit Sharma (Rs. 2 crore), Samuel Badree (Rs. 30 lakh), Ben Hilfenhaus (Rs. 1 crore), Matt Henry (Rs. 30 lakh), Baba Aparijith (Rs. 10 lakh), Mithun Manhas (Rs. 30 lakh), Ishwar Pandey (Rs. 1.5 crore), Pawan Negi (Rs. 10 lakh), Vijay Shankar (Rs. 10 lakh), Ronit More (Rs. 10 lakh), John Hastings (Rs. 50 lakh).