The eleventh season of the Indian Premier League will start on the seventh of April. The return of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals has cricket fans relishing a top-class tournament.
While every franchise has a much-changed squad, this biggest T20 tournament in the world is set to thrill the fans.
Through this series of articles, I will analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of every team in IPL 11.
Coming back after a suspension, the yellow army looks set to take the IPL over. MS Dhoni has returned to his adopted home and has his trusted colonels beside him.
They have been one of the best domestic T20 sides in the world. Additionally, the resumption of the Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings rivalry is mouth-watering.
Franchise Profile
Captain: MS Dhoni
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Squad: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Faf du Plessis, Mark Wood, Sam Billings, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Lungisani Ngidi, Asif KM, N Jagadeesan, Kanishk Seth, Monu Singh, Dhruv Shorey, Kshitiz Sharma, Chaitanya Bishnoi.
Likely playing XI: Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c), Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mark Wood
Key players: Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja
1) Regaining the core
Nostalgia has been key in CSK’s squads over the seasons. Their bulldozing run has largely been attributed to their intact core.
CSK have managed to get most of it back; Dhoni, Raina, Jadeja, Vijay, Bravo and Du Plessis return to don the yellow jersey. If they perform to their potential, this can be another big season for the Super Kings.
2) Capable spinners
CSK’s inability to acquire Ravichandran Ashwin frustrated some fans. While he could not be signed, Chennai possesses an army of spinners to wreak havoc in the spin-friendly home conditions.
Singh, Sharma, Tahir and Santner have time and again run through leading international batsmen. Jadhav’s part-time spin can be an additional boost to this already spin-heavy team.
3) Experienced all-rounders
All-rounders can be the most valuable players for any T20 side. In Jadeja, Watson and Bravo, the Super Kings possess three of the leading cricketers to fit this bill.
Watson’s experience, Jadeja’s flamboyance and Bravo’s brilliance can take any team over the line and Chennai are no exception.
4) MS Dhoni’s captaincy
This is a no-brainer. Regarded by many as the best captain in cricket’s history, Dhoni can lead any side to victory. While his skills as a finisher have debatably depleted, he remains a gifted leader who will want to lift the IPL trophy for a record-tying third time.
1) Too much focus on spin
Chennai went for an array of experienced spinners during this auction. While it can suit them at Chepauk, it can be a concern as they go away from home. They lack an experienced paceman, be it from India or overseas.
While Thakur, Wood and Ngidi bring an array of talent, they are not experienced at such a big stage. The side may struggle on pace-friendly wickets such as Mohali if their pacemen fail to perform.
1) Suresh Raina
Until a couple of years back, it was impossible to imagine a limited overs Indian team without Suresh Raina. His inconsistency and loss of fitness cost him the place in the team.
Raina recently made his comeback to the limited overs setup in South Africa tour and Nidahas Trophy. While he had decent return during these tournaments, consistent performances in IPL can consolidate Raina’s place in India’s crucial tour of England.
2) Ravindra Jadeja
India’s quest to have different teams in every format of the game cost Jadeja his place. A section of fans regards his omission unlucky. His comeback route has become more difficult with impressive performances by Chahal, Yadav and Washington Sundar.
However, the IPL may be the tournament where this seasoned campaigner can bring himself back in contention for the limited overs’ Indian team.
3) Shardul Thakur
A long-awaited international debut came for Thakur during India’s 2017 tour of Sri Lanka. Regarded as one of the most talented pacemen in India’s domestic circuit, Thakur has not shown consistency while representing India.
While Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have become indispensable in India’s limited overs’ bowling attack, uncertainty about Mohammad Shami’s future has opened the race up for India’s third choice seamer.
Possessing a disciplined line, length and a menacing knuckleball, Shardul Thakur can cement his place in the Indian team with a strong IPL season.
1) An old squad
Look at the Super Kings’ likely playing XI mentioned above and a trend emerges. While Shardul Thakur is the youngest at 26, everyone except Mark Wood is more than 28 years old.
In fact, the average age of that team is just above 32 years. While there is a rich vein of experience, they are unlikely to be the brightest fielding sides of this tournament. As many T20 matches are settled by the margin of a few runs, missed run outs or lapses in fielding by this comparatively older team could be costly.
2) Depleted finishing abilities of MS Dhoni
Along with being an amazing captain, MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited overs cricket. While some rate him on par with Australian legend Michael Bevan, Dhoni has surpassed Bevan’s imperious finishing abilities according to others.
However, in last couple of years, Dhoni’s abilities as a finisher have come under increased scrutiny. While he brings rich experience to the middle order, his ability to accelerate in final overs has seemingly decreased.
While Chennai have good finishers in Jadhav, Rayudu and Bravo, none among them is Dhoni. The Super Kings have benefitted from Dhoni’s finishing capabilities in the earlier seasons. This could be the season where Chennai misses those services from their Commander-in-chief.
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