IPL team profile: Dhoni factor no guarantee of Chennai Super Kings’ success

Some things never change in the IPL ecosystem — like life at the Chennai Super Kings’. The five-time champions, regarded as one of the most consistently dominant teams in IPL history, have always relied on continuity — and an unconditional faith in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Both have paid off handsomely — so far.

Dhoni, or Thala to his legion CSK fans, may have relinquished the captaincy to Rituraj Gaikwad since 2024, but it’s a no-brainer that the well-decorated former India captain still has the last word in the franchise.

The CSK have focused on retaining its core group which helped the team finish fifth last season and brought back Chennai man Ravi Ashwin in the fold — giving a strong signal about the template of cricket to follow.

The duo of Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have tormented their rivals in the Indian blue shirt all these years, have reunited among the yellow shirts — aiming to make sure the middle overs are the toughest ones for the rival batters on the spin-friendly surface of Chennai.

Noor Ahmad, the Chinaman bowler from Afghanistan, is here for variety, as the CSK boast of one of the strongest spin attacks in the League.   

While the CSKs have retained Sri Lankan Matheesha Pathirana and added Khaleel Ahmed, Sam Curran and Australian Nathan Ellis, their pace attack still seems to lack a genuine match-winner. There will be the skiddy, seam-up bowling from all-rounder Shivam Dube as well while Dhoni has often shown this unique capacity of marshalling the so called thin bowling resources to his team’s advantage.

The batting department, on the other hand, packs a punch with skipper Gaikwad, Devon Conway at the top of the order and followed by Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, the hard hitting Dube, Jadeja and then Dhoni bringing up the rear at No. 8.

A closer look, however, reveals that the line-up lacks men with the anchoring capabilities like a Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu or Robin Uthappa — who were a part of the nearly invincible Super Kings once.

However, all-rounders Deepak Hooda and Sam Curran also give the team management a number of options and it’s not the high-profile names, but the right combination that has delivered the goods for teams in the past.

The CSK, often ridiculed as ‘Dad’s Army’, have proved predictions wrong but there are no such powerhouses like a Shane Watson or Faf du Plessis in their ranks anymore.

All these, however, brings back to the question of how much Dhoni can bring to the table as a player. The last four to five seasons have seen him taking a call on what role he wants to play — while one could not still fault him on cricket fitness and keeping despite reaching 40, a lot was left desired on his contribution as a batter. Coming in at No.8, he was a shadow of the finisher one had known him to be and chances are he could be the quintessential impact player for them.

Will it, then, be the final season for MSD? One never knows…

Full Squad

• Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain)

• Matheesha Pathirana

• Shivam Dube

• Ravindra Jadeja

• M.S. Dhoni

• Devon Conway

• Rahul Tripathi

• Rachin Ravindra

• R. Ashwin

• Khaleel Ahmed

• Noor Ahmad

• Vijay Shankar

• Sam Curran

• Shaik Rasheed

• Anshul Kamboj

• Mukesh Choudhary

• Deepak Hooda

• Gurjapneet Singh

• Nathan Ellis

• Jamie Overton

• Kamlesh Nagarkoti

• Ramakrishna Ghosh

• Shreyas Gopal

• Vansh Bedi

• Andre Siddarth