Chennai Super Kingsa team that has established itself as one of the most successful franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League, had a disappointing run in the previous season. With only 8 points from 14 matches, they finished second from the bottom of the table. However, the team is now gearing up to put the setbacks of the past behind and make a fresh start in IPL 2023.
The team’s struggles last season can be attributed to various factors, but the captaincy conundrum was certainly one of the major ones. The CSK think-tank will be hoping that the return of Dhoni at the helm of affairs will reignite the team’s fortunes. The talismanic The wicket-keeper batsman has been the face of the franchise since its inception and has led the team to four IPL titles.
Harbhajan praises Jadeja
The 2022 season was married with captaincy issues, as the franchise handed over the reins to Ravindra Jadeja at the start of the tournament, only to take it away from him after four consecutive losses. This decision created a sense of confusion and instability in the team, which affected their performances on the field.
Moreover, there were rumors of a rift between Jadeja and the team management, which added to the turmoil. The team lacked the cohesion and the fighting spirit that has been synonymous with the Chennai-based franchise over the years. The captaincy debacle was one of the significant reasons behind their lackluster performances last season. However, with a fresh start in IPL 2023, CSK will be looking to put the past behind them and focus on reclaiming their position at the top of the IPL standings. Ravindra Jadeja, one of the most dynamic all-rounders in world cricket, is expected to play a crucial role in their campaign.
In fact, Jadeja’s former India and CSK teammate Harbhajan Singh has tipped him for a significant promotion in the team this year. Harbhajan believes that Jadeja has matured as a player and as a leader and has the necessary skills to take CSK to the next level.
“One player who I am going to have my eyes on will be Ravindra Jadeja. I want to see what kind of batting he’s going to do for CSK. I think he’ll be pushed higher up in the batting order (this season). As well as his four overs with the ball (will be key). If you look at world cricket currently, there’s no better all-rounder than him. So, I am looking forward to seeing Ravindra Jadeja performing in the IPL.”, Harbhajan was heard saying during a special pre-season show on the Star Sports network.
Can’t take Gujarat lightly
Harbhajan Singh knows very well that Chennai’s upcoming match against Gujarat Titans (GT) is not going to be an easy one. Despite being a new team in the Indian Premier League (IPL), GT had an outstanding debut season last year and clinched the IPL title, surprising everyone. Harbhajan acknowledged that the credit for their success largely goes to their maverick leader, Hardik Pandya, who proved his mettle as a captain.
“One thing which they’ve done better than the rest is that they’ve been very flexible. They’ve never been rigid about who bats where. We saw Hardik Pandya coming up in the batting order and scoring those runs and he wasn’ t just slogging the ball, he played like a proper batter for Gujarat Titans last season. He was very smart last season. Jonty Rhodes once said ‘a happy team is a winning team’ and that’s the formula this team applied. From what I gathered from Ashish Nehra and the entire team management, they were a very-very happy team.”, Harbhajan added.
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