IPL 6: The golden cogs of CSK’s winning machine

Galloping past every opponent to seal the playoff spot for six seasons in a row, going on to win two out of the last five seasons – it is evident that CSK have built something more than a money-minting franchise. Having been on the scene for 6 years now, every team has settled into a particular financial and performance-oriented cocoon and CSK gives you plenty of reasons why they are, by far, the most dominant team in all the major facets of the league. But do they have a set of ethics that have been followed for the past six seasons? If winning is not a given, then are CSK inclined to doing something different from the rest? Well, the answers are clearer than ever before.

While we’ve seen teams strangled by faltering squad dynamics, iffy financial models and vague transfer models in the past few years, CSK have always looked to pose a strong case of winning an IPL season way before stepping on the field. Let’s put it this way – a winning cycle is always there to be implemented for every side, yet it comes along with a certain set of conditions that only few units can sustain on a longer run. I have always believed that a franchise set up in a league with endless potential, like the one of IPL, should seek to build for a win today and tomorrow. It’s unfortunate that only CSK have understood the importance of the right ensemble to deliver a faultless act.

Here are the few pointers that separate them from the league of ordinary teams in IPL:

Transfer model

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While we’ve seen teams increasingly selecting players on the basis of their recent limited overs performances (which is of course, commendable!), CSK, on the other hand, have also looked to sign players that fit perfectly in their bill. They have adhered to a ‘like-for-like replacement’ mantra that is tough to follow, yet pays its share of dividends.

If one looks at the CSK squad closely enough, it can be easily figured out that the side can be divided into 7 key brackets. These brackets have been explored further in the above infographic that backs the claim of the side spending a lot of time in maintaining a specific framework that runs on players possessing certain skill-sets. Before signing any player or looking for a replacement, they’ll look back to what the squad needs rather than seek what the incoming player offers.

For example, the first bracket shows how CSK has been adamant about including at least 2 overseas openers with a proven track record in the limited-overs format. Having formed a side with Fleming, Hayden and Hussey being the core elements of the opening pairings for the past 6 years, CSK underline their intent by sustaining the pattern in the longer run. It was only in 2011 when Hussey needed a cover due to his international commitments that CSK had to sign up Francois du Plessis – another gifted opener in the same mould, with a proven T20 record for South Africa, Lancashire, Melbourne Renegades and his home side, the Titans.

They have followed the same recruitment pattern when it comes to signing overseas spinners. Muttiah Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv and Akila Dananjaya – the Sri Lankan trio that is predominantly renowned for their mystery deliveries, another handy weapon in the T20s – have replaced each other in the CSK squad for the past six seasons. Again, sticking to the principle of like-for-like replacements!

Similarly, the back-up wicket-keeper for MS Dhoni is also hand-picked on the basis of the batting pedigree in the domestic circuit. Both Parthiv Patel and Wriddhiman Saha have proved their worth in the domestic circuit, and both could play as an opener in dire circumstances – another subtle way to utilise the available resources in the squad.

All and all, it is rather startling to see the team set-up conjuring the same shape in accordance with the team requirements for every single season. They have always managed to sign a minimum of 2 players in the same mould, waiting to make use of every single opportunity presented to them. A virtue that exhibits a healthy competition in the side and consistent performances on the whole – and isn’t that what CSK has been all about in the IPL?

Consistent scaling of team dynamics

MS Dhoni was once asked in the midst of the current IPL campaign how he manages a batting lineup that’s hitting its peak at the right time. And his answer was subtle and well-phrased: “We decide the batting order according to the number of overs left to bat.”

It’s difficult to understand the mindset of a winning side, especially if they’re keeping the momentum going for more than a couple of seasons. When things have or haven’t gone the way of this side, CSK have always been able to find a method to evaluate and improve their side’s performances.

For example, even when the side has topped the IPL table this season, Dhoni and the team management weren’t complacent while choosing the side for the latter stages of the tournament. Instead, they kept tinkering with the death bowling options, something that has proven to be CSK’s Achilles’ heel in the past couple of seasons. They tried various combinations with Holder, Morris and Morkel before they going on to pen a perfect side for the business end of the tournament.

It’s this particular element of the side that makes sure the side leaves nothing to luck.

The ‘Mahi’ way

MSD, to be fair, is that one gift to this franchise that keeps on giving. It’s really difficult to argue whether there has been a better skipper, on and off the field, who has matched Dhoni’s contributions in the limited overs game. Whether it’s his ability to get the maximum out of his side or trusting his intuition in the most crunch situations – you may never have a better decision-maker than Mahi. From retention of the core players to using the home conditions as an advantage, Mahi brought in revolutionary changes to how a league side should function.

And when things still go out of hand, he’ll come up with one of his vintage knocks to lead his side home. The man with that mythical Midas touch has every trick in the bag to surprise his fans, time and time again.

Managing transitions

In Dhoni, CSK certainly have an ideal captain to marshal the troops, but it’s also his deputy that deserves a mention or two. Suresh Raina has been an absolute revelation with the bat for the Super Kings and probably the only other individual after their captain who can single-handedly turn the outcome of the game. While the side had to look for a like-for-like replacement due to the departure of any other player, in Raina they have already found an apt replacement for MSD in the future.

Only recently it came to the public eye that Raina’s inputs are also valued by the skipper and the management in picking players for a particular season. The deputy personally recommended the likes of Mohit Sharma and Imtiyaz Ahmed to fill the medium pacers’ slots in the side, and the former has been magnificent for the ‘Men in Yellow’ this season.

With a bit more experience as an understudy to the most successful Indian skipper ever, Raina could, perhaps, slowly assume the reins of the Chennai side in the future.

In a league where sides have been trading the captain’s role almost every other week, CSK have it all figured out for today and tomorrow.

For CSK, it’s always fair play

A champion side like CSK can connect all the right dots to keep this juggernaut going for seasons to come, irrespective of whether they earn a sense of respect from the competitors or not. At times, it’s tough to manage it all – winning and playing fair is separated by one thin line of perseverance that only a few can follow for long. However, characters like MSD and Stephen Fleming have made sure that humility and mutual respect are ingrained in every individual of the team. Hence, it doesn’t surprise us at all when we see their players not grabbing the headlines for the wrong reasons. Moreover, winning the fair play award 3 times in the past 5 years of the tournament and leading the table again this season, only backs their claims of sticking to the ethics whether it’s for a winning or a losing cause.

They have strolled to the finals again as if they had booked a spot way before the start of the season. However, there is hard work and more to ensure that everything on display for us onlookers reflects a streak of effervescent excellence.

CSK was always a machine designed to win and excel in the long run. But it’s only now that mortals like us have started admiring its efficient existence and seamless potential.