IPL 2019: Five reasons why CSK are favorites to win this season

Less than a day remains for before IPL 2019 gets underway. IPL 2018 was a combination of thrill and climax, and IPL 2019 promises to take those emotions even above. The first match of the tournament will be played between the home team and the defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

CSK, who returned in IPL 2018 after serving a 2-year ban, was largely criticized for having a team with a lot of players over the age of 30. However, their title victory was a statement to all those critics. They showed that it is the teamwork and not the age, that is required to win any tournament.

CSK again showed faith in their players. They retained as many as 23 players out of 25. Therefore, they had only a little work to do at the auctions. They added the services of Mohit Sharma and young Ruturaj Gaikwad in their squad. CSK have reached the finals of 7 of the 9 seasons they have played. They have qualified for the playoffs every season.

This year as well, CSK will start as favorites to lift the title. Let us take a look at the reasons for the same.

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#1 Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy

MS Dhoni's captaincy needs no explaination. He has been the most successful captains of all time. He has led India to ICC World T20 win in 2007, ICC World Cup glory in 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy victory in 2013.

Coming to this tournament, the 'Captain Cool' has guided CSK to 7 finals, although they have won only 3 of them. While the other teams have struggled to reach the playoffs, the Yellow Army has done it every season. Dhoni has always shown immense faith on his players. He has always taken the best out of them, without discouraging them.

Like every season, CSK will bank on his expertise this time as well. His captaincy will again play an important role in deciding the fate of the team.

#2 A strong Indian core

Suresh Raina

It has been a common experience in the past 11 seasons that a team with good Indian players win the IPL. The reason is that Indians are adept to play at home conditions. The main reason for the success of CSK, MI and KKR have been the same.

Like every season, CSK has a very strong Indian core in this season as well. What adds to their luxury is the experience of most of them. Their Indian players include Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayadu, Ravindra Jadeja and many more. These players will play the role of mentors to young guns like Shardul Thakur and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

The best part of this is that all these are in-form players. They know to remain calm during the pressure situation. Besides, they understand the game situation very well. Thus the performance of the Indian core will play an important role in deciding whether CSK win their fourth title or not.

#3 A good bench strength

Faf Du Plessis guided CSK to the final of IPL 2018 with his 42 balls 67.

CSK has a very strong bench strength as well. This is the reason why they did not have much work to do in the auctions and they could continue to play with their last season's team. Their versatility can be proved from the fact that even the inform players like Faf du Plessis, Mark Wood, and Murali Vijay could not play many matches.

In bowling, they have backup options in the form of David Willey, KM Asif, and Karn Sharma. On the other hand, they can play either of Sam Billings, Dhruv Shorey or du Plessis in their batting. They have 2 leg spinners in Karn Sharma and Imran Tahir.

A good bench strength will mean that they can easily replace any out of form player. If this bench strengths delivers this season as well, then CSK might be the team to beat.

#4 Presence of multiple match winners in the team

Nearly 10 CSK players won the MOM award in IPL 2018

In IPL 2018, more almost 10 of their players won the man of the match award. This included Dwayne Bravo (1st match), Sam Billings (2nd match), Shane Watson (4th match), Ambati Rayadu (5th match) and many more. They were never dependent on any one player throughout.

Other heroes for CSK included MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja. All the players in the team understand their role well and this creates a perfect balance in the team. It has been seen that an individual player can't win a title. For example, Virat Kohli, the alone inform player could not guide RCB in IPL 2018 playoffs.

Under the able leadership of Dhoni, all the players were able to perform nicely. They will bank on the same strategy to win in IPL 2019 as well.

#5 Good overseas players and their availability throughout the season

Dwayne Bravo

One of the biggest reasons for worry for the IPL franchises has been the ICC World Cup 2019, due to which many of the foreign players will miss the latter half of the season. The top four overseas players for CSK are Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner and Sam Billings.

Watson scored 555 runs in IPL 2018, and he will be available for the whole season, as he has retired from the international cricket. He was in fabulous form in last season. He single-handedly guided CSK to victory in final with his unbeaten century.

Bravo will also play the whole season, as he too recently retired from international cricket. He can pick wickets in the death overs, other than this, his four overs are economical.

However, the availability of the other two players is unsure. But, they have got the replacement for them in the form of David Willey for Santner. They also have many Indian players as a replacement for Billings.