“There was no absolute stellar performer” - Aakash Chopra points out one major reason behind CSK’s failure in IPL 2022

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) struggled to make an impact in IPL 2022 as they did not have a standout performer during the season.

Chennai finished ninth in the IPL 2022 points table at the end of the league stage, winning only four of their 14 matches. They ended a disastrous campaign with three consecutive defeats. CSK began IPL 2022 with a new captain in Ravindra Jadeja and plenty of hope. However, by the end, the mantle of leadership was back with MS Dhoni, who tried to steady a sinking ship.

Reviewing Chennai’s underwhelming effort in IPL 2022, Chopra said on his YouTube channel that the franchise did not have any star performers as none of the players were consistently exceptional. He elaborated:

“Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 368 runs while Shivam Dube contributed 289 runs. Devon Conway also did well. Dhoni batted well throughout the season. With the ball, Dwayne Bravo and Mukesh Choudhary claimed 16 wickets each. But you cannot pick out one name. There was no absolute stellar performer in the season for them. If there was, they would have qualified. Everything that happened was in bits and pieces and not consistently enough. That is what cost them.”

While Ruturaj Gaikwad was the leading run-getter for Chennai in IPL 2022, Dwayne Bravo and Mukesh Choudhary were the joint-leading wicket-takers.

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“They could free up some money here” - Aakash Chopra unsure about Uthappa, Rayudu’s CSK future

After releasing veteran batters Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu ahead of the IPL auction, Chennai bought back the duo. However, both experienced cricketers had poor seasons with the bat.

Discussing which players Chennai can release ahead of next season, Chopra said:

Whether CSK would want to continue with Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu is a big question. Both were expensive - Rayudu was purchased for ₹6.75 crore and Uthappa ₹2 crore. Robin started well but he did not score too many runs after that. Rayudu had a couple of good knocks, so it was a 50-50 season for him as well. They could free up some money here.”

While Uthappa scored 230 runs in 12 matches at an average of 20.91, Rayudu ended IPL 2022 with 274 runs in 13 games at an average of 24.91.