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The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had too many problems at the same time in the last Indian Premier League (IPL) and they finished second from the bottom - failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their 11 seasons in the league.
"Too many holes in the ship and, when you try to plug one, there is water flowing from another," captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni quipped then.
Nearly six months later a new season begins and the team, whose members appeared considerably aged in 2020, want to up their game to compete against the top sides such as Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. But CSK appear to have the same old problems.
The return of the former Indian international Suresh Raina and a few additions - importantly all-rounders Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham and batsman Robin Uthappa - hardly seem enough for the team from Chennai to mount a serious challenge.
They could not get off to strong, steady starts last season and their spin bowlers were largely ineffective on the slow, batting strips in the United Arab Emirates. The decline of Dhoni's power-hitting abilities also left them well short of targets and competent first-innings scores.
They had to push young Ruturaj Gaikwad up the order last year to boost their batting and it appears he will have the same role this year along with the ageing Uthappa. There are also calls to make Moeen an opener as he can hit powerfully.
Since CSK do not have a settled, confident opening pair, a lot will depend on their middle-order of Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Raina and Dhoni piling on the runs. However, three of them only fired in bits and pieces last year.
Their lower middler-order is very strong though, with the likes of Sam Curran, Moeen, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur capable of some big hitting.
It seems like CSK need to tear up their old template of leaving it late in the game and instead try to maximise at the top in this year's high-scoring venues in India.
Spin has been CSK's strong point in the IPL - especially on their home pitch in Chennai.
But the spinners went from picking 62 wickets - an IPL record - in 2019 to managing just 20 last season. Worse, they did not have a single quality finger spinner. The inclusion of Moeen and Gowtham gives Dhoni more spin bowling options. But CSK play eight of their opening 14 matches at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru where teams score heavily and don't rely on spinners for wins.
Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where CSK play two matches, also doesn't favour spin.
In the fast bowling department, CSK will be without Australian star Josh Hazlewood, who has opted out of the tournament. South African Lungi Ngidi will only join the squad later after his national commitments.
But West Indian Dwayne Bravo is fit again. The team will have to rely on him, Curran, Deepak Chahar and Thakur to make the early breakthroughs and restrict the runs at the end.
Last season CSK coach Stephen Fleming could not pick the South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir in the side for the early matches because of Covid-19-related complications and the unavailability of certain players.
By the time he identified their most balanced XI, the side were already out of contention for the playoffs.
This year, picking Tahir is a must as he is a match winner.
But, again, having so many options could also leave CSK in a flux if they don't figure out their XI early in the tournament.
Indo-Asian News Service
