It Was A Season To Forget For CSK: For a team like Chennai Super Kings, not many would have foreseen that things would end up in such a fashion. The MS Dhoni-led CSK finished second to bottom of the table in IPL 2020. This is the first time in the IPL history that Chennai Super Kings have not managed to make it to the playoffs.
Chennai Super Kings registered 6 wins in IPL 2020 and it could have been even worse had they not won their last three games of the season. It won’t be wrong to say that Chennai Super Kings need a major revamp and the skipper MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming have admitted that too.
Fans felt rejoiced after MS Dhoni confirmed that he will play the next season of IPL. Apart from that, we could also see some new faces on the team next year.
Nevertheless, in this article, we look at 5 reasons why CSK failed to qualify for playoffs in IPL 2020:
MS Dhoni’s poor show in IPL 2020
MS Dhoni played his first match of IPL 2020 after a long sabbatical from the game. He last played an international game for India in the ICC 2019 World Cup Semi-final game against New Zealand. Taking the field after such a long gap was never going to be easy and Dhoni’s poor show with the bat was a testimony to that.
His struggle against spin was once again on display. Dhoni just couldn’t get going in the tournament. The power to hit those big hits was there to be seen but the skipper struggled to time the ball well and build the innings. CSK’s skipper endured his worst season in the history of IPL. Turning up in 14 matches, MS Dhoni could score only 200 runs with the bat at an average and strike rate of 25 and 116.27 respectively.
Suresh Raina pulled out of IPL 2020
We all know how important Suresh Raina has been for CSK, over the years. The southpaw has played an instrumental role in taking the franchise to great heights. There hasn’t been a single season when he has scored less than 300 runs in IPL.
Ahead of the start of IPL 2020, Suresh Raina pulled out of IPL 2020. Raina’s absence in the tournament affected the team badly. CSK suffered heart-wrenching losses in the tournament as the players failed to accelerate the innings in the middle-over period.
Openers lacking consistency costed CSK
After enjoying two successful seasons with CSK, Shane Watson failed to replicate those performances this time. The Australian all-rounder struggled badly and proved out to be one of the biggest reasons behind CSK’s below-par performances in IPL 2020. In 11 games, he scored 299 runs at an average of 29.90, which included a solitary match-winning 83-run knock he played against Kings XI Punjab.
Spinners failed to sprinkle their magic in UAE
Ahead of the IPL 2020, CSK were considered as one of the favorites to lift the title, primarily because of the variety of spinners they had in the team. However, things didn’t turn out the way they had expected. Both the Indian leg spinners such as Piyush Chawla and Karn Sharma lacked penetration. Ravindra Jadeja too failed to produce goods with the ball, picking only 6 wickets this season.
Dhoni did try to out Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner in the XI but it was too late by then.
Middle Order lacked Intent
MS Dhoni trusted old campaigners in Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav to form a dependable middle order. While Kedar Jadhav failed badly in the tournament, the latter has been guilty of injury and inconsistent performances. The duo’s inability to turn out with valiant performances only added miseries to the franchise.
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