Dubai: The Lions from Chennai are ready to extend their boundaries when the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season begins in the UAE.
The two-time champions and last year’s runners-up once again wear an all-round look, with the emphasis again on big-hitting batsmen and the wily spinners, who are held together by ‘captain cool’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In fact, Dhoni has plenty of options to brainstorm as the team includes captains of four national teams.
The big additions are New Zealand skipper and swashbuckling batsman Brendon McCullum and the erstwhile Mumbai Indians opener Dwayne Smith.
Though most of the batsmen have been retained, the biggest loss in this department is the departure of Mr. Dependable Michael Hussey. But, with McCullum showing a different side to his batting, especially against the Indians in the second Test in Wellington, where he batted for almost two days to a force a draw, he can fit that role to perfection.
The Australian batsman has been Chennai Super Kings’ top-scorer in the past two editions, but his absence, along with that of Murali Vijay, should provide the South African Twenty20 captain Faf Du Plessis with more chances.
Suresh Raina, the highest run-getter in the IPL, has regained his confidence and form, which should augur well for the team. With McCullum, Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo to follow, the Super Kings fans can expect big fireworks towards the end.
While the batting revolves around the numerous international stars in the team, the Indian bowlers, led by Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, will have a big role to play.
Given Dhoni’s reliance on spin, it is likely to be no different this year. With the addition of West Indian leggie Samuel Badree, the skipper has a repertoire of slow bowlers, including Raina, at his disposal. Trinidadian Badree has the world’s best Twenty20 economy rate and is likely to come in handy as the wickets are likely to offer more turn due to the wear and tear of the long seasons in the UAE and India.
The pace department has a few additions in the form of the experienced Ashish Nehra and Ishwar Pandey, who will join Ben Hilfenhaus, Mohit Sharma and Bravo. New recruit Matt Henry could be a trump card for the skipper as the Kiwi pacer can make batsmen hop around with consistent pace in excess of 140km/h.
The availability of numerous all-rounders will also give Dhoni the flexibility to marshal his troops around, which has been the trademark of the team.
Chennai’s big worry over the years has been the first six overs of powerplay when bowling, where the rivals score in excess of 50 runs. To arrest this run flow, Ashwin was given the new ball in the earlier editions, which paved the way for his move into the Indian team. And this time around Dhoni will be wary of this fact and try his best to wrest the initiative.
By retaining five players before the auction, the Super Kings have the crux of players around whom the rest can revolve and move into top gear as the seventh edition develops.
The Super Kings — who have been the most consistent team in winning the title twice, being runners-up three times and semi-finalists once, apart from being champions of the Champion League Twenty20 — will be aiming not to disappoint their fans, who will be ready with their whistles.
