The Chennai Super Kings are former 3-time IPL champions and former Champions League T20 winners. They did not have a memorable season in 2020, but they are the IPL 2021 favorites. The reason behind it will be thoroughly explained in this article, but first, we will talk about why CSK has been so successful.
The first and the foremost reason is that the team management backs its players always. Even when they failed to impress last year, the Chennai Super Kings retained a majority of its squad. A confident player can always perform better than someone who plays for his place in the team.
Apart from that, there are five more reasons why the Chennai Super Kings are among the top IPL 2021 favorites.
5. MS Dhoni factor makes CSK IPL 2021 Favorites
MS Dhoni is considered by many as the greatest captain in cricket history. He is the only captain who has won the ICC World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC T20 World Cup, IPL, Asia Cup, and Champions League T20. Also, Dhoni has a tri-series win in Australia.
Dhoni knows how to make the best use of his players. He has been sweating hard in the nets to ensure he can perform better than IPL 2020. The MS Dhoni factor will give CSK an upper hand like always.
4. In-form domestic stars
The domestic stars of the Chennai Super Kings squad are in great touch right now. The likes of C Hari Nishaanth, R Sai Kishore, Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and even Harishankar Reddy had a memorable outing in the domestic tournaments this year.
Last season, some young talents faced issues because the tournament happened on the UAE pitches. However, IPL will return to India in 2021, meaning the domestic stars will get to play in the familiar conditions. Thus, CSK’s domestic stars make them one of the IPL 2021 favorites.
3. Enough depth in batting
Last season, the Chennai Super Kings did not have a great batting lineup. Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for COVID-19 initially, while Suresh Raina missed the entire season because of personal reasons.
At one stage, Sam Curran had to open the innings for the team. But the same will not be the case in 2021. CSK have stacked up their lineup by adding Robin Uthappa, Cheteshwar Pujara, C Hari Nishaanth, Moeen Ali, and Krishnappa Gowtham. Also, Suresh Raina is back this year.
2. Two new all-rounders who can be match-winners
As mentioned ahead, Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham are a part of the Chennai Super Kings squad now. Both all-rounders are match-winners who can turn the game with their all-round brilliance.
CSK already had DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, and Mitchell Santner in their all-rounders’ section. The addition of two new match-winners in this department gives CSK a place among the IPL 2021 favorites.
1. An experienced squad is the top reason why CSK are IPL 2021 favorites
In a competition like IPL, experience matters the most. To play with a cool head in crunch situations is not everyone’s cup of tea. CSK have DJ Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni, who have been with the franchise for a long time.
These players know how to win tournaments. Even Cheteshwar Pujara, Robin Uthappa, and Moeen Ali bring much experience to the table. Hence, this factor can turn things in favor of CSK during the pressure situations.
