Depth, Variety and Flexibility - SWOT Analysis of CSK for IPL 2024

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Chennai Super Kings will be coming into IPL 2024 as the defending champions (Source: x.com)Chennai Super Kings will be coming into IPL 2024 as the defending champions (Source: x.com)

The seventeenth season of the Indian Premier League is upon us. The tournament is all set to grip the Indian subcontinent with cricketing fever. Once again, the competition between the teams is expected to be a fierce one. 

Ahead of the competition, we will dive deeper into each team's squad and try to analyse their strengths and weaknesses. In this article, we will analyse the IPL 2024 squad for the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings. 

Before delving deeper into the strengths and weaknesses of, let us first take a look at the IPL 2024 CSK squad. 


CSK Full Squad for IPL 2024

Batters: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Aravelly Avanish. 

All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Nishant Sindhu, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi.

Spinners: Maheesh Theekshana, Prashant Solanki. 

Pacers: Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman. 


Strengths of Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2024

MS Dhoni's leadership will be a big plus for CSK in IPL 2024 (Source: x.com)MS Dhoni's leadership will be a big plus for CSK in IPL 2024 (Source: x.com)

MS Dhoni

The man, the myth, the legend will again be back leading the Chennai Super Kings. Last year, MS Dhoni made the best use of his resources and led the team to their fifth IPL title. Even though, as a batter, Dhoni is well past his prime, his captaincy skills and game-reading abilities are at their peak because of his vast experience.

His street smartness, calmness under pressure and the ability to bring the best out of his players are the biggest strengths for the CSK team. 

Depth and variety in the all-rounder section

CSK has a great variety in the all-rounder section. Players like Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, and Moeen Ali add to the team's spin strength. On the other hand, names like Daryl Mitchell, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, and Shivam Dube can contribute to the team's bowling effort with their medium pace. 

Barring their bowling abilities, players like Jadeja, Rachin, Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell, and Shivam Dube have proven themselves with the bat. They are efficient throughout the batting order, adding great depth, flexibility and variety to the team management. 

Variation and flexibility in the bowling department

The CSK management worked hard to add depth for the upcoming edition. The result of their perseverance is that there is great depth and variety in the team.

If we look at the bowling section, there are two experienced new ball bowlers, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur. They now have good bench strength in this section, as Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh are waiting to back up. 

With Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Maheesh Theeksana there is variety and flexibility in the spin department. Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner will be great back-up all-rounders contributing to the spin department. There is also Prashant Chopra, who can be useful in spin-friendly conditions. 

Matheesha Pathiran was a great asset for the team in the death-overs in the last edition. The team will hope that he also contributes in the same way this season. There will be Shardul Thakur with him, who can be useful in both the middle and death overs. 

Thus, a look at the bowling unit of CSK gives us the idea that the team is very well-balanced and flexible. 


Weaknesses of Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2024

Lack of consistent big hitters in the middle-order

Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu worked wonders for the CSK team in increasing the scoring rate in IPL 2023. Rayudu has taken retirement, and the consistency of Dube is a big concern. 

Moeen Ali might be efficient as a big hitter in the middle-order, but he also lacks consistency. Thus, with batters like Rahane and Mitchell in the middle, there are enough grafters but no players who can increase the scoring rate in the middle overs. 

The team will depend a lot on the likes of Jadeja to fulfil this responsibility. 


CSK will depend a lot on their opening pair to give them good starts (Source: x.com)CSK will depend a lot on their opening pair to give them good starts (Source: x.com)

Over-dependency on the opening pair

CSK's success depends on how the two openers perform for them. Last year, we witnessed that the team came under pressure whenever the two openers failed to score. However, the management has worked hard to mend this hole for this year. The likes of Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra could provide more strength to the middle order. Much will depend on the combination the management puts out on the field of play. 


Opportunity for CSK in IPL 2024

Establishing Rachin Ravindra as the future

Devon Conway has suffered a thumb injury during his international duty. He might not be available for the first half of the tournament. This will allow CSK to try out Rachin Ravindra at the top of the order. 

The young Kiwi all-rounder can also contribute with the ball on the spinning track of the Chepauk Stadium. If he proves his efficiency with both trades, Rachin Ravindra could become a solid member of the future CSK core. 


IPL 2024 will probably be MSD's last season (Source: x.com)IPL 2024 will probably be MSD's last season (Source: x.com)

Finding out their future leader

IPL 2024 is expected to be the last season for MS Dhoni. He has been leading the team since the tournament's inception. With his retirement from the game, there will be a void in the leadership role. So, MSD will look to groom a future leader and hand over the team's reins to him. 


Threats for CSK in IPL 2024

Injury prone players

Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Mukesh Choudhary, and Maheesh Theekshana are prone to injury. These players form the core of the team's bowling unit, and their injury during the tournament might prove costly to the team.

Dependence on new overseas recruits

A look at the team's strength gives us a general idea of how the playing XI might shape for the first few games. In that case, much will depend on Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. These two overseas recruits need to adjust quickly to the conditions at Chepauk to give them a better chance at defending their title.

SWOT Analysis of CSK for IPL 2024 (Source: OneCricket)SWOT Analysis of CSK for IPL 2024 (Source: OneCricket)


Predicted XI of CSK for first match of IPL 2024

Predicted XI of CSK for First Match of IPL 2024 (Source: x.comPredicted XI of CSK for First Match of IPL 2024 (Source: x.com


Chennai Super Kings' Squad Evaluation

Batting

Experience - 9/10
Power - 7.5/10
Depth - 8.5/10
Finishing - 8/10

Rating - 8.25/10

Bowling

Experience - 8.5/10
Powerplay Potentital - 8/10
Middle-overs Potential - 8.5/10
Death-overs Potential - 8/10

Rating - 8.25/10

Overall Rating - 8.25/10


Prediction for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024

The CSK squad looks balanced and well-rounded for IPL 2024. Under MSD's leadership, it is expected that the least they could achieve is being in the tournament's final. If the unit can keep their nerve, they might end up defending the title for the second time.