IPL 2022: 3 reasons why it is okay for CSK to not win the trophy

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have looked a pale shadow of themselves in IPL 2022. A lot has gone wrong for the four-time champions, who currently sit in ninth position with just three wins from nine games.

Just before the IPL 2022 season began, MS Dhoni relinquished his captaincy duties, with Ravindra Jadeja taking over. However, Jadeja's own returns taking a hit saw the all-rounder hand the reins back to Dhoni a day before their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, 1 May.

3 reasons why CSK not winning the IPL 2022 trophy is okay

Despite their win over SRH, CSK's current situation leaves their qualification chances in limbo. While many believe that Dhoni donning the captain's hat again may just turn their fortunes around, the Super Kings can't afford to lose a single game hereon for those chances to remain realistic.

On that note, we dissect three reasons as to why CSK not winning the IPL 2022 trophy isn't worrisome.

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#1 CSK have a decorated history in the IPL

For a good part of the league's history, CSK have been the team to beat in the IPL. From being the first team to defend their title successfully to qualifying for the playoffs in each of their first 10 appearances, the Super Kings boast records that very few others can.

The odd bad season is bound to transpire for any IPL team in a format as volatile as T20 cricket. CSK endured one in 2020 before turning it around the following year and while this season hasn't gone to plan, it could well prove to be an aberration in the years to come.

The reason for that is simple - the Super Kings are renowned for comebacks, be it lifting the title in 2018 after a two-year hiatus or coming out on top in 2021 after a poor 2020 season. Thus, one can't put it past them to storm back next year, meaning that teams have to write them off only at their own peril.

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#2 Larger worries on hand - life after MS Dhoni

It goes without saying that no player has been as synonymous with a franchise as MS Dhoni has been with Chennai Super Kings. It's almost impossible to visualize the Yellow Army in the absence of their talisman. Yet, that will transpire into reality some time in the future.

In recent seasons, there has always been a doubt over whether it will be Dhoni's last appearance in yellow. The man himself remains tight-lipped and any analogy to his future playing days is similar to Schrodinger's cat.

With the Ravindra Jadeja captaincy experiment going pear-shaped, a bigger cloud remains over who will take over the reins once Dhoni does call it a day. This ought to be at the top of the Super Kings' long-term strategy - something that stretches beyond a title that may or may not arrive this season.

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#3 The team has a new look

Chennai Super Kings live by the philosophy of continuity. However, they weren't able to reacquire the likes of Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood and Shardul Thakur at the IPL 2022 auction. For the record, each of these names played a pivotal role in the team's title triumph last season.

While a decent part of the old band is still intact, a good part of them are in the last leg of their respective careers. Moreover, the current season has seen CSK field a few fresh names such as Maheesh Theekshana, Shivam Dube and Mukesh Choudhary.

While the Super Kings have lost games they should have won, you'd expect them to come out on the right side of such scenarios in time to come up with a little more refinement.

Patience is the way forward with the side bearing a new look that is bound to change even further over the next few years. The franchise's proud success in the IPL allows them to accommodate this new-look team in a bid to ensure it turns into a dominant side in the years to come. With this in mind, the lack of a trophy this year shouldn't bother CSK too much.