Is it the right time for CSK to look for young blood in IPL 2022 Mega Auction?
Ahead of the 2018 IPL season, when a new cycle was about to begin, there was a huge discussion about whether Chennai Super Kings will let go of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis and some of the other players, who were heading towards the twilight of their careers. Instead, CSK kept all of them and bought another bunch of experienced and comparatively older cricketers, such as Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Imran Tahir and Shane Watson.
Experience over youth
In the 2021 season, CSK played with only 13 players getting a match. They won five out of their seven matches and managed to have a five-match undefeated run as well in the middle. They once again looked like the force to be reckoned with. Having said that, a big question arises in front of Chennai whether they let go of these legends after the 2021 season and look for some young talents.
Strategy for the future
When it comes to the mega auction, more than anything, teams seek players who will surely be performing well by the time the cycle ends. This time when CSK start the new cycle, there are quite high chances that MS Dhoni will not continue to be a part till the end. According to the CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan, Dhoni might come back to lead the team again in 2022, but if CSK don’t get some young talents in their team in the mega auction, they might find themselves looking for options by the 2022 or 2023 season ends.
There is a narrative that says Ravindra Jadeja will be the next skipper of CSK and a team will be built around him. Even though it seems like a good option, there is so much more Jadeja will need around him to make CSK look like a good team. There are some good young talents in the group such as Sam Curran and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Moeen Ali seems to have a chance to last for another two to three years, which gives CSK the much-required experience in the middle.
But, 2022 will be a big year for CSK. It will be crucial that they can take some young talents and groom them, so that the baton can be passed on if Dhoni retires after just one season in the new cycle. The best part of watching CSK in 2021, oddly enough, was that Raina didn’t get a lot of runs, Bravo played only four matches and picked three wickets and MS Dhoni batted for only 30 balls in seven matches. Despite their main men, who are most likely to run out of steam soon, not performing well, CSK have managed to win matches. This only goes to show that CSK have slowly started building a new core, which will take the team ahead once Dhoni, Bravo, Raina and Du Plessis are done with.
