N Jagadeesan with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni (Photo- CSK Twitter)
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Three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side led by MS Dhoni is training hard in Mumbai in preparation for the 14th edition of the IPL (IPL 2021), beginning on Friday, April 9, 2021. The Chennai Super Kings will play their first match of the tournament against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 10 in Mumbai.
Chennai Super Kings players (Image Credit: Twitter)
The Stephen Fleming-coached side had finished sixth on the points table in IPL 2020 and for the first time failed to qualify for the playoffs in their decade-long history in the Indian Premier League. This led to CSK offloading many players like Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Murali Vijay, and Piyush Chawla, they invested in talents which filled certain gaps in their side.
In the IPL 2021 auction, the CSK bought the likes of Moeen Ali, Cheteshwar Pujara, Robin Uthappa, and K Gowtham, apart from a couple of local talents like Hari Nishaanth and Harishankar Reddy.
We Are Keen To Perform Well This Season: N Jagadeesan Of Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
The Chennai Super Kings also welcomed Suresh Raina back into the fold, who had returned back from UAE before the IPL 2020 began due to personal reasons after 13 staff members including 2 players of Chennai Super Kings camp tested COVID-19 positive.
Suresh Raina (Image Credit: Twitter)
According to keeper-batsman N Jagadeesan, who made his debut for the franchise last year, all three of Ali, Uthappa, and Raina could play a vital role this season and called the CSK team a balanced unit.
“We have a good balanced side that ticks all the boxes. We are keen to perform well this season. We have the right mixture of batters, bowlers and all-rounders and so we are in a positive frame of mind,’’ said N Jagadeesan.
Robin Uthappa in CSK jersey (Photo- Instagram)
“Raina is a proven performer and has a lot of experience playing the IPL. He being around this time augurs well for the side. Uthappa is a top order batsman with loads of experience. In a tournament like the IPL, experience counts and its good to have people with experience in our ranks,’’ said Jagadeesan.
All-Rounders Are Very Important, They Give The Team Edge In Close Games: Jagadeesan On Moeen Ali And K Gowtham
Chennai Super Kings had suffered from lack of bowling options and poor finishing the last season and hence decided to invest in a couple of big-hitting all-rounders in England’s Moeen Ali and Karnataka’s K Gowtham, both known for bowling in power-plays and hitting big from ball one.
Moeen Ali (Image Credit: Twitter)
“All-rounders are very important for a side as they provide the edge for a team in a close game. The presence of Moeen and Gowtham is a big plus,” explained Jagadeesan.
N Jagadeesan himself could be the missing link Chennai Super Kings have been trying to find as the batsman had a stellar Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Tamil Nadu, ending the tournament as the top run-getter with 364 runs at a strike rate of 141.08.
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