IPL 2019: Major issues and required changes for each team before the business end of the league

Chennai Super Kings

CSK need one more win from three games to finish in the top 2 (Picture courtesy: BBCI/iplt20.com)

The defending champions are sitting at the top of the table with one leg in the playoffs. Just one more win would ensure a top-two finish.

Before the start of the season, death bowling was considered to be their biggest weakness. But after 11 games, CSK have the best economy at the death among all teams. For the umpteenth time, CSK have converted their weakness into a strength.

But the formidable batting line-up, considered one of the best in the tournament, has failed so far. Barring MS Dhoni, no other batsman has really stood up. The last game against SRH saw Shane Watson and Suresh Raina gain some much-needed form, but that was a rarity.

Moreover, the form of Rayudu remains a major concern; his miserable strike rate (below 90) in particular is really harmful. That seems to be the only weakness in the line-up at the moment.

Knowing CSK, it is unlikely that they will drop Rayudu. But if he fails for a couple more games, they should move on and try someone like Dhruv Shorey in the middle.

The other option might be bringing in Sam Billings by some means into the middle order to make sure the runs do not dry up in the middle overs. But CSK are a team who like to go in with a set template, and it is unlikely for them to change that at this stage.