Team composition
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Total EFscore of top 11 players: 1.080
Total EFscore of all ranked players: 1.086
Chennai Super Kings have been a perennial title contender in all the season of IPL, and this one is going to be no different. Chennai retained five of their players before the player auction – MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo. Out of these five, Dhoni, Raina and Ashwin have played for Chennai in all the six seasons. They also brought back Faf du Plessis and Ben Hilfenhaus. Clearly, continuity has been a big mantra for the team management.
They also played their hand quite well during the player auction. They lost Mike Hussey to Mumbai Indians, but made it up by getting Brendon McCullum on board. The team spent just 3.4 MM in the player auction – second lowest after Rajasthan Royals, but spent it wisely. They are one of the most balanced teams in the tournament with respect to both batting and bowling. Most importantly, they still have the stoic leadership of MS Dhoni, who has carried this team to the knock-out stage in every season of the IPL. Expect the team to be in hunt for the title this season as well.
Roster management: Chennai are probably the only team with few roster management issues. They don’t face a crunch for their four overseas slot – they are adequately covered with Bravo, Smith, McCullum and Badree. They may go for Ben Hilfenhaus instead of Badree if in case they are looking to bolster their fast bowling attack. Faf du Plessis is also likely to see a good amount of playing time, and he will take the place of Dwayne Smith in that case. The team has sufficient depth in both batting and bowling to handle any injury concerns, and this will be one of their biggest strengths throughout the tournament.
Dark horse: Brendon McCullum’s blistering century in the very first match of IPL already seems like a history. He wasn’t in top form last season, but opponents will count him out at their own peril. Chennai will most likely open the batting with him, and will expect him to give them a good start on which to build upon. He can be a real difference maker at the top of the batting order, and can more than fill the space left by the departure of Mike Hussey.