3 Problems CSK needs to fix before Tata IPL 2023: The Tata IPL 2022 turned out to be a traumatic season for the four-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings. The celebrated franchise saw everything going against them in the entire edition. It was just once in a several years situation faced by CSK as they couldn’t make their cut to the top four once again.
CSK was knocked out of the tournament in the league stage after they only managed to secure four victories in 14 league stage games. The franchise was on the back foot from the start of the tournament. They started their campaign with a loss against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
After losing the first match, CSK kept falling further down as they lost four consecutive matches before marking their first victory of the season. The first win against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) did no good to the franchise as CSK continued its pale patch losing games on alternate cycle before losing three matches on the trot to end their ailing season.
The captaincy became an issue for the franchise that has won multiple IPL titles because of its extraordinary leadership. Senior all-rounder Ravinder Jadeja was awarded the captaincy of CSK after seasonal skipper MS Dhoni decided to relinquish his role. However, Jadeja’s first-hand experience of captaincy didn’t turn out memorable.
CSK’s poor performance and excessive captaincy pressure hampered Jadeja’s personal performance which ultimately pushed him to give up the leadership and focus on himself. MS Dhoni was once again seen leading the franchise in the latter part of the IPL 2022.
Although a few positives were there for four times IPL champions, the IPL 2022 can be summed up as one of CSK’s worst ever seasons in the history of the Indian Premier League.
This article will lead you through – 3 Problems CSK needs to fix before Tata IPL 2023.
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3 Problems CSK needs to fix before Tata IPL 2023:
Seasoned wrist spinner:
Unlike the previous editions where CSK used to have the likes of Imran Tahir and Karn Sharma, the franchise doesn’t have a seasoned wrist spinner in the current squad. Prashant Solanki is the only player to have those abilities, however, he seems to be not ready for the IPL competition.
Maheesh Theekshana is with CSK and can provide a wrist spinning option, however, he is an overseas player. CSK might not want to fill its one overseas place by getting in a spinner.
Issues with Ravindra Jadeja:
The IPL 2022 didn’t turn out to be fruitful for Ravindra Jadeja. His batting flopped as he averaged just 19.33 with the bat in 14 matches. Moreover, his bowling looked rusty as he could only manage to scalp five wickets from 10 matches at an average of 49.60.
His fielding performance also took a dip in the fifteenth season of the Indian Premier League. There were a couple of drop catches and fumbles, which is a rare sight in cricket.
On top of all this, there are rumours that everything is not well between the CSK and the all-rounder. If this comes out to be true, CSK may lose a phenomenal all-rounder, which will be a massive loss. The yellow brigade needs to fix all the issues, if there are any, and must retain Ravindra Jadeja in the next season.
Stronger middle order:
CSK had one of the most trustable and consistent middle-order a few years back. The players used to fire more often than not, which made CSK what it is currently. However, this is not true for the current situation.
The middle order is highly unsettled and all the senior players are on the wrong side of the 30s. MS Dhoni is certainly in his last steps and the franchise will have to find a suitable replacement for the finisher.
Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa, though, can play for a few more years, their consistency will be an issue that CSK needs to solve before they get ready for the Tata IPL 2023.
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