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The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a pretty forgetful IPL 2020 season as they missed out on the playoffs for the first time in their history. There were several grave problems which needed to be addressed at the earliest.
Although the IPL 2021 season had to be unfortunately suspended due to the rising COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble, CSK were having a great tournament. MS Dhoni and co. won five out of their seven games and were second in the standings.
3 reasons why CSK were one of the favorites to win IPL 2021
Barring a couple of defeats, CSK were having a dream IPL 2021 campaign. They were well on their way to qualifying for the playoffs and looked like a formidable unit.
On that note, let's have a look at three reasons why CSK could have won their fourth IPL title at the end of the season.
#3 Formidable opening combination
Last year, CSK's openers for most games were Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis. Although the duo had an odd innings or two where they dominated the bowlers, they weren't able to get the three-time IPL champions off to consistently good starts.
However, that changed towards the end of that season with the introduction of young Maharashtra opener Ruturaj Gaikwad in place of Watson. Following three consecutive half-centuries, Gaikwad was backed as Du Plessis' opening partner for IPL 2021 as well.
After a bit of a struggle in the first few games, Gaikwad and Du Plessis were sensational for CSK. While Gaikwad notched up 196 runs in seven games, the South African scored an incredible 320 runs with four back-to-back half-centuries.
The sensational opening combination was one of the best in IPL 2021 and laid solid platforms for CSK to post huge totals as well as chase down targets comfortably.
#2 Moeen Ali's X factor
CSK were not too active at the IPL 2021 Auction, but they did buy England all-rounder Moeen Ali for a whopping ₹seven crore. Ali had played 19 IPL games before for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), but he had not received consistent game time.
But the 33-year-old was soon made the centerpiece of CSK's attacking brand of batting. Many considered the move to send Ali at No.3 a masterstroke as the southpaw's belligerent batting helped CSK make full use of the field restrictions as well as grab momentum in the middle overs.
Ali scored 206 runs in just six games at an outstanding strike-rate of 157.25. On the bowling front, he picked up five wickets at an economy of just 6.16. The Englishman was the trump card that Dhoni used sparingly to maximize his match-winning ability and it made a huge difference to CSK's performance in IPL 2021.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja's all-round show
Ravindra Jadeja came into the IPL 2021 season on the back of a long injury lay-off. Although he was in great form for India, he didn't have a great IPL season last year. Jadeja has been an integral part of the CSK team over almost the past decade and the franchise heavily depended on his all-round showing.
Thankfully for CSK, Jadeja was in top form as he scored 131 runs in seven games at a stupendous strike-rate of 161.72. He was also good with the ball, despite CSK playing five of their games at the Wankhede Stadium, which is considered a graveyard for spinners.
Jadeja picked up six wickets at a brilliant economy of just 6.70. His blistering 62 off 28 balls and three-wicket haul against the RCB will remain one of the best performances by an all-rounder in IPL history. Had the IPL continued and had Jadeja maintained his form, CSK could well have won their fourth title this year.
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