They say “age is just a number”, proving this right was the Chennai Super Kings squadin IPL 2020 edition of IPL. Chennai Super Kings was infamously dubbed as the “Dad’s Army” in 2018 for having 9 members over 30 years in their squad. None the less they delivered some outstanding performances and won a record third title that year. After all, age was just a number and experience was key, Dhoni said also need big bash 2020.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad in the IPL 2020 –
Owing to a two-year ban due to betting by the owners of the team, CSK had to start from scratch. Everyone expected Chennai to construct a team with young faces, and it came as a surprise for everyone when they selected oldies. The core team comprised of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36), AmbatiRaydu (32), Suresh Raina (31), Dwayne Bravo (34), Shane Watson (37) and Harbhajan Singh (37) and their average age was 34 and a half years. Yet they were a complete antithesis to the term ‘Dad’s Army’. They managed to convert their perceived weakness into their biggest strength. Shane Watson, who was 36 at that time, was one of their over 30’s stars and when it mattered most, he came through for them. It was his unbeaten century at IPL 2018 final that earned them the title of champions.
Dhoni believed that the key to a good campaign would be in managing the experienced players like Watson and Bravo. Moreover, He said “I think everyone talks a lot about age, but fitness is the more important aspect.Being agile and fit matter more than what year you were born in. At the same time, we also knew the shortcomings and had to accept areas that we won’t be brilliant in.”
Dealing with injury-prone players was only one of their problems. Another challenge they had to face was having their home games shifted from Chennai to Pune after playing only one matches due to the Cauvery water dispute. They dealt with this problem with a lot of calm according to coach Stephen Fleming.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Squad of 2018 –
Stephen Fleming also said that it had quite an impact on the team, as at the auction table they had picked up a team that would play well at the Chennai ground. They had to scramble through to make a lot of changes, more than they usually ever made. Suddenly they had to become a seam-based team and a little bit less spin, which was their forte. He was also proud of how experienced players showed their value in the CSK squad of 2018.
Before the final of IPL 2018, Fleming said: “teams win competitions when individuals can win finals, we’re game for that match-winning performance and it will have to come because the opposition is very good.”. CSK had to chase a total of 179 runs to bring the trophy home, which they did so easily by scoring 181 runs in only 18 overs at the loss of 2 wickets. It was Shane Watson’s brilliant batsmen skills that won the match. The carnage started from the sixth over when he scored 16 of it. In the 13th over of the game, he hit three sixes and two fours to practically ending the chase there.
The current CSK squad of IPL 2020 still consists of its core team members who are well over 30. It will be interesting to see how the ‘Dad’s Army’ will fare this season. Age aside all the players bring immense experience to the team. It is also an added advantage in dealing with difficult situations. At the auction this year they got an overseas fast bowler, Josh Hazelwood and added another spinner to their team that is R Sai Kishore.
Read more at webku.in.
