Irfan Pathan, a former cricket player, provided a review of CSK’s team for the 2024 Indian Premier League recognizing that CSK has effectively addressed each aspect. His analysis clarifies the squad’s complex dynamics as they prepare for the upcoming IPL season with the goal of winning another title.
The legendary MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will go into the competition as the reigning champions, having won their fifth IPL title in the IPL 2023 final against the Gujarat Titans (GT). With this victory, CSK and MI are now the two most successful teams in IPL history. Twelve of the fourteen seasons in which they have competed have seen them advance to the knockout stages.
“They have not one but two combinations ready well before the IPL season has started” – Irfan Pathan on CSK
Irfan Pathan was questioned if the Chennai Super Kings’ auction purchases have made their squad even stronger during a Star Sports discussion. He reacted:
“In terms of the combination they have, their playing XI is sorted. Apart from the playing XI, they have five or six guys who can actually come and play as well. So their squad is full and their replacements are full.”
Irfan Pathan stated that if Matheesha Pathirana does not start well, they will have Mustafizur Rahman along with possibly all Indian bowlers as well as the vast majority of overseas batters.
Mustafizur Rahman was purchased by CSK at the auction for ₹2 crore. Their bowling lineup will be further strengthened by the possible return of Mukesh Choudhary, who was sidelined by injury throughout the previous season.
“If Matheesha Pathirana doesn’t start well, they have Mustafizur Rahman. They might even start with Mustafizur. They might have all Indian bowlers and most of the overseas batters as well. So they have not one but two combinations ready well before the IPL season has started,” Pathan further added.
“You don’t have many Indian batters who can actually replace him” – Irfan Pathan on replacement of Ambati Rayudu
It was unlikely that the Chennai Super Kings would find the perfect Ambati Rayudu successor, according to Irfan Pathan. He reasoned:
“We were talking about what the Chennai Super Kings were going to do, especially with Ambati Rayudu, because if a player like Ambati Rayudu goes away, you don’t have many Indian batters who can actually replace him.”
The former cricket player turned commentator continued, saying that Rayudu’s absence has been compensated for by the addition of Shardul Thakur, an Indian bowler, and Daryl Mitchell, a foreign batter.
“So what you needed to do was to get Daryl Mitchell, an overseas guy, and get one Indian fast bowler as well. They exactly did the same thing. They got Daryl Mitchell and they got Shardul Thakur also,” he stated.
The Chennai-based team bought Mitchell at the auction last year for an incredible ₹14 crore. Considering that the Indian all-rounder was acquired by the Delhi Capitals (DC) for ₹10.75 crore and later traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the same amount, they acquired Shardul for a comparatively low price of ₹4 crore.