IPL 2020 was the first time in the illustrious history of Chennai Super Kings that they failed to make it to the playoffs stage. IPL 2021 was the season of their remarkable comeback as they added a fourth trophy to their cabinet. IPL 2022 was the season when they again failed to finish in the top-four and this time their troubles weren’t just limited to on-field performances. Two days before the season began, CSK announced Ravindra Jadeja would be succeeding MS Dhoni as their captain, seen as a step keeping he future in mind. Jadeja could manage two wins out of eight attempts before the captaincy went back to Dhoni – voluntarily or otherwise is anybody’s guess. But it didn’t change their season dramatically either.
IPL FULL COVERAGE , SCHEDULE , RESULTS , ORANGE CAP , PURPLE CAP
CSK managed to win just two of their remaining six fixtures under Dhoni resulting in a second bottom-two finish in three seasons leaving us with the big question: Is their aura on the wane? Or are they experiencing the challenges a team faces when in transition phase?
IPL 2022 Record: Played: 14; Won: 4; Lost: 10; Standing: 9th
High point of the Season
Crushing Delhi Capitals by 91 runs. Of their four victories during the season, CSK’s most dominating show was against DC when they racked up 208/6 with the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube and captain Dhoni himself firing on all cylinders – a rare sight. CSK bowler’s responded to their batters’ performance with a combined display of their own as they bowled out DC for 117.
Low point of the Season
Captaincy saga. CSK began hitting the headlines before even the season kicked off in late March. A couple of days before the start of IPL 2022, it was announced that Jadeja will lead the yellow brigade during the season and thus the baton was passed to the next generation. Or so it seemed. It was a stunning decision considering how close to the start of the campaign it was made public. Even more shocking was when CSK announced that Jadeja is stepping down eight matches into the role and that Dhoni will take control as before. And then, when Jadeja was ruled out due to an injury following his decision to quite as team captain, the latest development gave rise to speculations that all is not well between the franchise and their prized allrounder.
Captaincy Verdict
Well, in Dhoni’s words, Jadeja seemed to have not taken the pressure of captaincy well and it reflected on his performance. As a result, he stepped down. But by then, CSK had lost a lot of ground to their opponents. They were already playing catch up having lost their strike bowler Deepak Chahar to injury for the entire season. Captain or not, Dhoni was actively involved in field placements, bowling changes and Jadeja could be seen having discussions with his senior teammate quite often. CSK didn’t have the team that would have challenged for the title. And there’s little that a captain can do when running thin on resources. Both Jadeja and Dhoni secured two wins each during their tenures giving an indication that the team suffered from the inconsistency of their players.
Most valuable player
Moeen Ali. The Englishman scored runs at a brisk pace and took wickets with his off-breaks. Obviously, they would want him to be more consistent but Moeen has shown he has the capability to win matches on his own. He scored 244 runs at a strike-rate of 137.85. He also took eight wickets and boasted of an economy rate of 6.62.
Major disappointment
Ravindra Jadeja. Ahead of the start of the season, the India The allrounder was in the form of his life. And then he was made the CSK captain too. But his season quickly unraveled. In 10 matches, he managed 116 runs and took just five wickets. To make his season worse, he picked up a rib injury and was ruled out from the remaining four matches. Then there were unconfirmed reports of him being unhappy with the team management on how they handled the captaincy saga.
Season verdict
Disappointment. They failed to close tight games and were only good in patches. But they gave debuts to several uncapped players who have shown promise.
Statistics
Most runs: Ruturaj Gaikwad – 368 runs
Most wickets: Mukesh Choudhary & Dwayne Bravo – 16 wickets each
Highest individual score: Ruturaj Gaikwad – 99 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Best bowling figures: Maheesh Theekshana – 4/33 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
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