SWOT Analysis IPL 2024: Can CSK Defend Title And Become League's Most Successful Franchise?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), one of the most successful franchises in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will be gearing up for another season under their captain cool M.S. Dhoni. Last year, the Men in Yellow defeated the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans by five wickets to grab their fifth IPL title, equalling Mumbai Indians' record for the most league triumphs. CSK under Dhoni's leadership have played 10 IPL finals in the 16 editions so far and won the title on five occasions - 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023.

Apart from these accomplishments, CSK have also qualified for the IPL Playoffs 12 times in the history of the competition. Heading into the new season, Dhoni's CSK will remain the fans' favourite, owing to the man in charge.

After a decent mini-auction in December 2023, CSK secured the services of Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rehman, and Aravelly Avanish Rao.

As per the two-week schedule announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), CSK will play the tournament opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 22 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The 42-year-old, Dhoni will be seen taking the field in a competitive game for the first time since the IPL 2023 final.

"Well, you have decided it's my last season" - The inimitable response from Dhoni to Danny Morrison during the toss at Chepauk last season has been a talking topic ahead of the IPL 2024.

As the defending champions gear up for their title defence, let's take a look at their SWOT analysis to understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Strength

CSK will get to play half of their league games at Chepauk this year, where the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Maheesh Theekshana, and Mitchell Santner could prove to be very effective on the slow tracks where run-scoring is difficult against spinners.

Considering their strong record at Chepauk, the CSK management could start with three genuine spinners at home.

With the luxury of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dubey, Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell, Jadeja, and Dhoni himself at the backend, CSK have plenty of destructive batters in their squad who can change gears when required.

Furthermore, the addition of Shardul Thakur will strengthen the Indian pool of CSK's fast bowling department which is already filled with the likes of Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.

Weakness

Player of the Match in the IPL 2023 Final, CSK's top-order batter Devon Conway has been ruled out of action at least until May. The 32-year-old injured his left thumb during a recent T20I series against Australia.

Notably, the Kiwi batter scored 672 runs in 16 games at an impressive average of 51.69 with six fifty-plus scores last year and was a vital cog for CSK.

Additionally, CSK lack quality Indian spinners and a backup for Jadeja. Despite having a wrist spinner in Prashant Solanki, who is yet to make a mark in the IPL circuit, CSK do not have plenty of options in this crucial department.

Opportunities

At the mini-auction, CSK stunned other franchises when they went all guns blazing for a 20-year-old Sameer Rizvi and bought him for 8.40 Cr.

After Suresh Raina, CSK are yet to find an Indian batter who has made the No. 3 spot his own. Rizvi, a destructive middle-order batter from Uttar Pradesh, is popularly called the right-handed Raina. But in young Rizvi, CSK do have a player with potential and can retain him for the long run.

Ruturaj and Shivam will also be eyeing a wonderful IPL season, considering a spot in Team India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA is up for grabs.

Threat

The biggest threat for CSK is their ageing squad and the likes of Rahane and Dhoni's indifferent form could have a big say in whether they can mount a successful title defence.

Skipper Dhoni underwent knee surgery after IPL 2023 and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the upcoming season. The Indian legend scored 104 runs at a whopping strike rate of 182.46.

There are also a few injury-prone players like Chahar, Pathirana, and Jadeja, whose fitness issues could be an impediment for CSK.

Probable Playing XII

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dubey, Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande (impact sub)

Topics mentioned in this article

Chennai Super Kings MS Dhoni IPL 2024 Cricket