IPL 2018: Analysing Chennai Super Kings' strengths and weaknesses

The 11th edition of the IPL is expected to be a cracker as two franchises, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will return after serving a two-year ban.

Chennai Super Kings have been the talk of the town ever since the auction in which, according to most, they performed quite poorly. However, they still have enough talent in their ranks to go all the way.

The CSK squad for the 11th edition of IPL:

MS Dhoni(C), Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo. Karn Sharma, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Faf Du Plessis, Mark Wood, Sam Billings, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Lungisani Ngidi, Asif KM, N Jagadeesan, Kanishk Seth, Monu Singh, Dhruv Shorey, Kshitiz Sharma, and Chaitanya Bishnoi.

On that note, let's analyse CSK's strengths and weaknesses ahead of IPL 2018:

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Strengths

#1 Spin department

Chennai Super Kings have a well-balanced spin department. With a lot of experienced spinners in the mix, CSK look a very formidable bowling side, especially considering the spin-friendly nature of the tracks back home. CSK have the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh and Mitchell Santner in their ranks along with Karn Sharma.

It is important to note that the Chennai-based franchise will be playing half of their matches at the Chepauk stadium which has always favoured the spinners.

#2 Experience

The secondary strength of this CSK squad is the amount of experience that they carry. With the likes of MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir and Suresh Raina in the side, CSK are the most experienced side on paper. Thus, they will rely heavily on their experienced campaigners.

Weaknesses

Shardul Thakur will have a huge role to play

The only weakness in the CSK squad is the lack of depth in the pace department. With no experienced specialist pace bowler in the side, CSK look a tad weaker at the death. With a weak pace department, the onus will be on the spin department and the inexperienced Shardul Thakur to provide the much-required foundation for a favourable result.

With a lot of experienced spinners in the side and the limitation of playing just four overseas players, Mark Wood might not get enough game-time here. As of now, the only scope of improvement lies in the pace department.

Opportunities

Deepak Chahar, having already played alongside MS Dhoni, might get a chance in this year's IPL

CSK will rely heavily on their young guns to fill the pace department. This season will provide an ideal platform for Deepak Chahar to establish himself as a new ball bowler for the Chennai-based team. He has performed consistently in the domestic circuit and will relish this opportunity.

Chahar has so far featured in 25 T20 matches and has taken 29 wickets at an astonishing average of 22.34 and a decent economy of 7.46. In addition to that, he was the star-bowler for Rajasthan in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he registered his best bowling figures of 5/15 against Karnataka.

In addition to that, this season would provide an ideal platform for Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Vijay and Karn Sharma to re-route themselves for a comeback to the national LOI team.

Threat

DJ Bravo will be a crucial player for CSK

With prime batsmen such as MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson and Suresh Raina in their ranks, batting is not a concern for CSK. The fast bowling could be a concern though, primarily owing to the lack of specialist pace bowlers in their squad.

Chennai Super Kings, thus, will rely heavily on DJ Bravo, Shane Watson, and Shardul Thakur to handle the pace department.

With no provision for injuries, the pace department could be a matter of concern for CSK on bouncy and pacy tracks. With IPL being a long tournament, the franchise will need to manage the workload of their vital players aptly as well.