The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) management has, over the years, refused to follow the hire-and-fire strategy prevalent in most set-ups in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Their unquestioned faith in the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the support staff that once made them one of the most successful franchises with five titles, and the CSK top honcho sees no reason to change their ways.
Languishing at the bottom of the table at the moment, the Yellow Shirts managed a morale-boosting win against champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an away game at the historic Eden Gardens on Wednesday – but it’s not going to change the ground realities for them.
There is no denying the fact that we have had back-to-back poor seasons now. After the season, we will get back to the drawing board and work on the areas that we need to address.
The avuncular figure of Kasi, a confidant of India Cements tycoon N. Srinivasan – the CSK owner – has been a permanent feature at the stands or their dugout since the early days. He is completely against heaping blame on an ageing Dhoni, the long-serving support staff or the team members for an insipid performance which even saw them losing their grip on the fortress of Chepauk this time.
We don't want to blame any particular individual. It’s a collective failure, but the good sign is every time we have been down in the dumps, we have come back strongly.
There is an element of truth in it as CSK, soon after being back from a two-year ban, had won the title in 2018. Then again, in the Covid-hit edition of 2021, they won the title in Dubai after finishing seventh in the table the previous year, while their last title came as recently as 2023.
However, the Whistlepodu army seemed quite disillusioned this time at the franchise failing to get their act together – be it at the auction table, as they lacked the firepower in the middle-order, barring Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja, what with the latter also looking a shadow of his former self.
The million-dollar question about Dhoni’s future with the team came up -- because at 43 years old and with a dodgy knee, the much-decorated former India captain is no longer the force he used to be, despite the odd sparks of brilliance.
I have been asked this question frequently for the last few seasons, and let me tell you, it’s up to him to decide what role he wants to play. The only thing I can tell you at this point is once Ruturaj Gaikwad is declared fit, he takes over the captaincy again as Dhoni was just filling in for him.’
It’s still early days to comment on it, let the season get over first. Looking back, I think it’s been a culmination of injuries and poor form which did us in. Ruturaj picked up an injury, which ruled him out for the rest of the league. Someone like Devon Conway, who had served us so well in the recent past, was grappling with his personal problems while Rachin Ravindra, one of the most exciting overseas talents, was not in form this time.
We have always believed in plugging the gaps, if any, rather than random buying. If we didn’t believe in youth, how come we took on board exciting youngsters like Ayush Mhatre, Anshul Khamboj, or Dewald Brevis?
