Chennai Team’s Performance in TATA IPL 2024
14
Matches
7
Won
7
Lost
50
Win %
Expected Playing XI
Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad ©, Moeen Ali, Ajnkya Rahane, Daryll Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Chaudhary, Maheesh Theekshana
Key players to watch out for
MS Dhoni – With captaincy responsibilities no longer on his shoulders, it’s all about the batter MS Dhoni in TATA IPL 2024. While he did hit a number of big shots last year, his fans as well as his team would be mighty delighted if he can roll back the years and provide more fireworks.
Maheesh Theekshana – The Sri Lankan mystery spinner has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years and was expected to be Sri Lanka’s lead bowler in the World Cup. However, in the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana never came to party and would like to return to playing a leading role in his team’s quest for TATA IPL 2024 in yellow.
Rachin Ravindra – With more than 500 runs from his bat, the Wellington born youngster showed his affinity for Indian pitches. With Devon Conway absent, he is likely to take up the opener’s role in the team while also contributing with his left-arm spin.
Chennai’s Schedule for TATA IPL 2024
Squad Analysis of Chennai
Despite winning the tournament in 2023, Chennai had a lot of things to take care of ahead of TATA IPL 2024. The team released their big buy of previous year Ben Stokes while Ambati Rayudu had retired right after the tournament last year. Moreover, the team’s primary bowlers were injured in 2023. So, strong reinforcements were needed in the bowling department as well. The team did well in the auctions, picking up two Kiwi players who had an incredible World Cup with the bat – Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell.
Strengths – Whenever Chennai’s success is talked about in the Indian T20 League, apart from MS Dhoni’s mention, the team ‘culture’ gets talked about a lot. The team always wears a relaxed look on the field, irrespective of the result. That has got a lot to do with the presence of Stephen Fleming in the dressing room. The team has turned adversities into opportunities in the past and with a full-strength team this year, would like to give MS Dhoni a winning farewell.
Weaknesses – The sudden change of leadership didn’t go well when it happened in 2022 and Ravindra Jadeja was made the captain. Hence, the concerns regarding Ruturaj’s appointment as skipper are also legitimate. The pressure on the opener will be immense on account of succeeding Dhoni as the skipper and considering how important his role is in Chennai’s batting lineup, the team can’t afford Gaikwad’s form to get affected due to leadership duties.
Daryl Mitchell comes into the tournament with a big price tag as well as a big reputation that he earned courtesy his exploits in the World Cup in India a few months ago. It will be interesting to see him try and fill a gap in the batting lineup left by Ambati Rayudu’s exit.
Chennai Team in TATA IPL 2024
The defending champions Chennai are set to begin this season of TATA IPL 2024 under a new skipper as just a day before their opening fixture the team announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as the successor of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The team that has become synonymous with the 42 year-old wicketkeeper batter will hope that this experiment doesn’t fail the way it failed a couple of years ago when Ravindra Jadeja was announced as a skipper in a similar fashion, only for Dhoni to return as skipper midway through the season due to the team’s dismal start to the tournament.
The captaincy dilemma aside, things look bright for the 5 time champions, although the absence of Ruturaj’s opening partner Devon Conway will surely be felt. There also remains concerns over Matheesha Pathirana’s availability. However, on the brighter side, the team would be happy to have Deepak Chahar and Mukesh Chaudhary back in the mix, as well as the in-form Shardul Thakur who was bought in the auctions. As has been the case in the last few years, the limelight will largely be on MS Dhoni as the star is expected to retire finally from all cricket at the end of this tournament.
The team’s fortunes have swung wildly in the past four years. They fared poorly in 2020 and 2022 and won the title in 2021 and 2023. Fleming’s men would hope to break the trend and put in another top performance in TATA IPL 2024.
Chennai’s stats in Indian T20 League
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- The team has made it to the final a record ten times and has finished as the winners of the tournament five times, the joint highest with Mumbai.
- MS Dhoni who was bought by the franchise in 2008 has played the most number of matches in the league’s history and became the first player in 2023 to reach the landmark of 250 matches.
- Dhoni also tops the charts when it comes to most matches captained in the league’s history by having led the team in more than 200 matches.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad had won the Orange Cap award for the team in 2021 when he scored 635 runs from 16 matches. He was the third Chennai batter to finish with the Orange Cap after Matthew Hayden did it 2009 and Michael Hussey did it in 2013.
