Chennai Super Kings are always counted among tournament favourites and it will be no different this time, especially should their bowling click
Nikita Bastian16-Sep-2014How they got to the CLT20For the seventh time in seven editions, Chennai Super Kings progressed past the group stage of the IPL in 2014. They finished third this time round, losing the second qualifier to Kings XI Punjab despite Suresh Raina producing one of the most stunning innings across IPLs: he slammed 87 off 25 but Super Kings still fell 25 short of a target of 227. That came after a clinical chase of 174 against Mumbai Indians in the eliminator. They had finished the group stage in third position as well, winning nine out of their 14 league matches.StrengthsFirepower in the batting, a bunch of electric fielders, and a settled core; Super Kings’ strengths are many.A T20 line-up including MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Faf du Plessis is intimidating enough. At the 2014 IPL auction in February, Super Kings added Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum to that list, both of whom aggregated more than 400 runs apiece and laid several explosive platforms at the top, quickly dispelling doubts about whether the tried and tested opening pair of Michael Hussey and M Vijay would be missed.In Raina, du Plessis, McCullum and Ravindra Jadeja, they have a world-class ring on the off side. Always known for their consistency in form and selection, they were also one of only three franchises to retain five players – Dhoni, Raina, Jadeja, Bravo and R Ashwin – ahead of this year’s auction. During the tournament, six players played all of Super Kings’ games, du Plessis missed just one and McCullum missed just two. This is a team that has played together a lot, with the players all knowing their roles and their team-mates well.WeaknessesFast bowling has always been Super Kings’ weakest link. In IPL 2014, seamer Mohit Sharma led the wicket charts with 23 scalps at 19.65, but the team struggled to find someone to take the new ball with him. None of their other pacers claimed a tally in double digits. Ishwar Pandey was their only quick to concede below eight an over, but ran into trouble once the tournament moved from the UAE to the batting-friendly Indian tracks. The experienced Ashish Nehra, who was brought in to guide the younger India pacers according to the team management, kept his place for only four games and went at over nine to the over. Their other experienced pace hand, Ben Hilfenhaus, averaged 30.75 in eight games, and is not even a part of the squad for this tournament.So frustrating was the bowling that the usually unperturbed Dhoni said after they exited, having conceded over 200 three times in three games to Kings XI: “I had belief in my bowling that they will definitely let them score 200 runs.” He will be relieved to have Bravo, who was injured during Super Kings’ first game in IPL 2014, back.Players to watchWhen it comes to key performers for Super Kings, it is hard to look past captain Dhoni and Raina. However, given their seemingly unending issues on the fast-bowling front, spin – often Dhoni’s preferred option – becomes all the more important for them. To their advantage, they have the services of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, India’s first-choice Test spinners. In IPL 2014, the pair shared 35 wickets, averaging in the mid-20s. This time round, Super Kings will play a majority of their games at the batting paradise that is Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, meaning their spinners maintaining control becomes all the more central to their success.Newbie to watch out forFor six seasons of the IPL, in the middle of a power-packed batting line-up, the reliable S Badrinath provided insurance for Super Kings. Following the reshuffle in February this year, that role was passed on to Mithun Manhas. A busy batsman with extensive experience on the Indian domestic circuit for Delhi, Manhas might be shunted down the order when the line-up is on the rampage, but when there’s an early collapse he would be expected to battle it out and help rebuild the innings. In IPL 2014, Manhas played 12 of Super Kings’ 16 games, but batted only five times and remained not out three times.Past recordSuper Kings have played in the Champions League T20 four times – the most appearances in the tournament, alongside Trinidad & Tobago, who missed out this year, and Mumbai Indians. They won the tournament in 2010, did not make it past the group stages in 2011 and 2012, and were semi-finalists in 2013.