IPL 2018: 6 problems that are plaguing CSK this season

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been far from clinical in their first three games of the season so far. All three of their games have been decided in the last over. They scraped their way to victory in first two games and fell agonizingly short by 4 runs in their last game against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). On all three occasions, their bowling has let them down while their batsmen have toiled hard to push their team beyond the finishing line. Their players haven’t clicked in unison so far and their tactics of going with experience over youth in the auctions has drawn criticism from many quarters of the cricketing arena.

Here, we take a look at the plethora of problems that are glaring hard after their first three games.

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#1 The Top Order

For the first two games, the CSK top order consisted of Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, and Suresh Raina and it looked quite settled though they didn’t click in either of the first two games. But an injury to Raina, CSK's batting pillar, disturbed the combinations with Vijay drafted in to open the innings against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Rayudu coming in at no.3.

Vijay could not contribute much in the high-octane chase but deserves to be persisted with due to the kind of record he has in his previous stint with the Yellow Jersey. Rayudu is the most successful CSK batsman this season and will be itching to convert his good starts into big knocks. So not much of tinkering is needed at the top of the order and CSK will fare better by showing some trust in Vijay.

#2 The Middle Order

The injury to Kedar Jadhav in the first match has depleted the middle-order though Sam Billings and MS Dhoni have put on stellar shows in the last two matches. While Billings' assault took CSK home against KKR, Dhoni’s troublesome back took the winning shine away from his brilliant effort against KXIP.

In Jadhav's absence, Billings and Dhoni will have to shoulder much of the responsibility in providing stability and impetus, as the case may be, to the team in the middle phases of the innings. Both have contributed individually in previous two games but they need to come good together to help their team's cause.

#3 The Lower Middle Order

The CSK lower middle-order comprises of Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo but surprisingly Jadeja has been batting above Bravo since the start of this season. Jadeja's role in the team has come under serious scrutiny after his failures with the bat, while bowling only three overs in the tournament so far.

His inability to accelerate has put other batsmen under serious pressure, therefore, the CSK think-tank should consider sending him after Bravo. This move will not only optimize the good batting form of Bravo but also help CSK in upping the ante at crucial stages of their innings.

#4 The Fast Bowling Department

This has been the Achilles’ heel of the CSK set-up so far this season. CSK faltered heavily in the auction as they could not pick any established Indian fast bowler and that folly has now come back to haunt them. The two Indian pacers to have played so far, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur, have gone for almost ten runs an over with only four wickets to show in return for that generosity. The CSK set up really needs to ponder whether they want to continue with Chahar and Thakur or give the young Kerala pacer, KM Asif a chance in place of either one of the two.

Mark Wood made the cut in the starting XI in the opening match but fared very poorly as he conceded 49 runs off his four overs. He was later replaced by Sam Billings in the squad for the second game. Their recent injury replacement, David Willey provides a good all-round option but including him means compromising on Imran Tahir.

But if CSK decides to drop Tahir, they can give more balance to their side with Willey, Thakur/Chahar, and Asif as primary seam bowling options with useful support from Bravo and Watson.

#5 The Spin Bowling Department

CSK have used Tahir and Harbhajan as their primary spinners while Jadeja has been under-utilized, bowling just three overs in three matches. The duo of Harbhajan and Tahir have done a fairly good job with economies of 8.25 and 8.30, respectively. They have been instrumental in controlling the flow of runs in the last two occasions.

Considering the performances in last three games, it will be a little harsh on Tahir if he gets dropped but cricket is a team game and CSK will have to go this route only to lend more support to their line-up.

Probable playing eleven that should take the field against Rajasthan - Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, David Willey, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif