Chennai Super Kings Arriving for Season 6

Chennai Super Kings have slowly started assembling in Chennai. Details below.

• Fast bowler and new signee to the Super Kings family, Dirk Nannes is already in Chennai and has begun his training.
• Coaching and support staff will arrive in Chennai on March 27th, 2013
• Fielding Coach, Stumpa Rixon will join the team on March 30th,
• International players arrive in batches. Mike Hussey reaches Chennai on the 28th of March, followed by Ben Laughlin, Bravo, Holder and Hillfanhaus arriving on the 30th of March 2013.
• Others expected by the 4th of April
• Indian players will arrive on the 28th of March 2013.
• Players playing for the state team qualifies for the Syed Musthaq Ali tournament join the camp on the 2nd of April, 2013
• R Jadeja and Suresh Raina join the camp from the 31st of March. M Vijay and R Ashwin will be available from the 2nd, and Dhoni will reach on the 3rd of April after attending the opening ceremony in Kolkatta
• The team will begin training from the 29th of March 2013 evening at the MAC stadium

Source: www.chennaisuperkings.com 

CSK Players Arriving Date

Chennai Super Kings are slowly getting into action and are getting ready to defend their IPL title. Please find below the dates of arrival of Chennai Super Kings Fans

Arrival Dates

• Currently, player manager Russell Radhakrishnan and Physio Tommy Simsek are already in the city.
• March 27, 2012 – Shadab Jakati, Sudeep Tyagi, Abhinav Mukund, Anirudha Srikanth, S Badrinath, M Vijay, Yo Mahesh and Wriddhaman Saha, Coach Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris
• March 28, 2012 - Gregory King, Physical Trainer and Andy Bichel – Bowling Coach 
• March 29th - Fielding coach Steve Rixon
• April 1, 2012- George Bailey, Albie Morkel, Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
• Nuwan Kulashekara and Doug Bollinger are expected in the first week of April
• April 2, 2012- Captain M S Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo
• April 30, 2012 -Michael Hussey and Ben Hilfenhaus

And the whistles are slowly starting for another major campaign for Chennai Super Kings

Update on CSK Foreign Players - Bollinger, Hussey, Bravo, Kulasekara & Randiv

A Few update on CSK's foreign players:

1. Bollinger & Hussey to join by today: As per the tweet from IPL CEO Sundar raman, Hussey & Bollinger should have either joined the team yesterday or joining them today. [I expect Hussey to have reached Chennai yesterday(Thursday) and Bollinger to reach Chennai today (Friday)]. So there is a high probability that we will see our beloved 'rug' & Mr. Cricket on Saturday. 

2. Bravo to join the team after May 5: West Indies Board has allowed Bravo to skip the test matches against Pakistan. So Dwayne Bravo would be joining the CSK team in the latter half of the campaign. Expect him to be named in the squad for May 9th match against Rajasthan Royals. (CSK Fixtures)

3. Kulasekara & Randiv to depart on May 5: Srilankan Board has asked Srilankan players to report by May 5 at Colombo. So Kulasekara & Randiv would be available only until May 4th game against Rajasthan Royals. 

Chennai Super Kings - Players to be Retained & Bought

Players to be retained

1. Dhoni: 3-in-1 player. Captain, Wicketkeeper and Batsman. Any doubts on whether he would be retained??

2. Raina: Foundation of all CSK Campaigns. Has not yet publicly confirmed on whether he would agree to be retained by Chennai Super Kings 

3. Murali Vijay: Had my doubts about his adaptability to South African pitches. Has proved his ability without any doubt. 

4. Albie Morkel: This all-rounder is the key to the team's wonderful balance. 

Substitutes:

1. Ashwin: If any of the Indian players does not agree to be retained, 3rd Indian player to be retained

2. Bollinger: If Albie does not agree to be retained, I would expect Bollinger to be retained.

Rules of Retention

1. Maximum 4 Players can be retained - Only a maximum of 3 Indian players and a maximum of 2 foreign can be retained. 

Players to be bought in Auction

1. Davy Jacobs: Impressed by his performance and attitude. Hope CSK are able to buy him in auction. 

2. Shane Watson: Worth every penny he gets paid. Let us see whether any club goes crazy about him. 

3. Ashwin: If he is not retained

4. Murali/Vettori: World class spinners who surely has another 2-3 years left in them.

5. Zaheer/Malinga: Whoever is not retained by Mumbai Indians

6. Hussey: He would be a wonderful addition to the team

7. Bravo/Oram/Razzaq: Another Bowling all-rounder would add a lot more value to the team. 

8. Dinesh Karthick:  Might be very tough to buy him in auction since he is a valuable addition to any team.

9. Yo Mahesh: Will be a valuable slow bowler addition to CSK Team. 

10. Badrinath: His presence in the team is crucial especially in the low-scoring games.

11. Maharoof:  Any of them would be a huge value addition to any team

Key Strategy: Buy them Young. Rather than putting the priority on winning the immediate season, it is essential to build a team that wins more trophies than any other club in India.

Who do you think should Chennai Super Kings buy and retain?


Also read my post on retention at the end of IPL Season 3 @ http://blog.cskfansite.com/2010/04/players-for-next-few-years.html

CSK Turns to Bollinger for a Bowling Boost

IPL CEO Sundar Raman has confirmed through his twitter account that Bollinger would be replacing Oram in the team. (Link - Raman's Tweet). Even Harsha Bhogle thinks it is an excellent decision. (Harsha's Tweet) It is great news to have a fast bowler among the ranks. Since he is currently playing the test matches against New Zealand, we can expect him to join the squad on April 1 - along with Michael Hussey.

Brief Bio:

Douglas Bollinger  is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays first-class cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He is a left-handed batsman and a left-arm fast bowler. He is known as Doug "The Rug" by the general public.

Bollinger is one of a select group of up and coming Australian cricketers who have spent time at the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence honing their cricket skills, in the hope of gaining national selection. He made his Test debut for Australia on 3 January 2009 in the Third Test against South Africa at the SCG. On 1 May 2009, Bollinger claimed his first ODI five-wicket haul, which came against Pakistan at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. He picked up 5/35 and won his first Man of the Match award. In the 6th ODI versus India at Guwahati, he took 4 wickets and was declared as the Man of the match again.

Bollinger was once again drafted into the Australian XI for the second of three Tests against the West Indies in November – December 2009 following injuries to leading pacemen Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle. He took 5 wickets in the match at Adelaide, and continued his good bowling form into the third and final Test, taking career best figures of 5/70 in the first innings and 8/141 for the match. During the test series, Gayle famously said he is becoming Bollinger's bunny. (Source: Wikipedia)

 What do you think? Will the addition of Bollinger have any impact on the team?

[But there is no information about the addition of Bollinger in the official website. Thanks Siddharth for the tip]

17 Days to Go

I am sure all of you are aware that Chennai Super Kings have brought in 2 new players - Kemp & Perera. By the first look, it seems that Chennai Super Kings have just taken protection for increasingly injury prone foreign all-rounders in the team. For the complete story, visit http://chennaisuperkings.com/news/NewsContent.aspx?NewsID=200

Chamara Kapugedera may join Chennai Super Kings

Though there is no official confirmation, rumours have started that Chamara Kapugedera, the talented opening batsman from Sri Lanka may join Chennai Super Kings. Swarnavahini, a leading news and entertainment channel in Sri Lanka reported this news. 

About Chamara Kapugedera

Chamara Kapugedera, a naturally aggressive right-hander, got his first taste of international cricket when he made his One Day International debut against Australia in Perth in 2006, A stylish and classical player, he is also known for his big hits. Though Chamara Kapugedera may not find a place in the playing eleven, it will be a great experience and a good income for the young batsman.

Team

Bringing him into the squad is a good thing since it makes the current four to justify their presence ahead of him. A good move especially if the future is taken into account. Hope they follow this by bringing in the talented Ajantha Mendis also into the squad.

News Source: Dilmah Cricket Forum

P.S: Thanks Nadun, for informing me about this.

New Players, New Look

With the departure of key players like Mathew Hayden, Hussey and Oram, and the arrival of two new players - Morkel and Ntini, Chennai Super Kings sports a new look. Now the task lies on the hands of Dhoni and the management to make these new guys feel at home and continue the winning momentum. Hope the players like Ntini, Morkel and Fleming understand their role and play them into perfection.

 

Makhaya Ntini:

My opinions about him remains the same as the one I wrote in my squad analysis. His lack of variations in his bowling arsenal creates doubts about his T20 viability. But his recent form in the Indian Test series should bode well for the team.

Albie Morkel:

Relatively unknown foreign player in the squad, he is the second highest paid player in the squad. A T20 specialist, his performance in the recent South African Domestic T20 tournament made headlines. While his tight bowling helped his team(Titans) all through Pro20 series, his quick fire 33 (from 17 balls) became the critical difference between two teams in the finals.

Stephen Fleming:

An astute reader of game and the situations, his presence in the top order is enough to quell any doubts about the strength of CSK's top order even after the departure of Hayden and Hussey.

 

Impact - Batting:

Departure of Hayden and Hussey has surely eroded the touch of invincibility in our batting lineup. But our bowling is getting strengthened. A positive thing about the departure is that the middle order batsmen like Badrinath would get more opportunities. Hope they make them count. I am expecting Suresh Raina to become the key player. Hereafter, you will hear more from commentators on how Chennai Super Kings' young batsmen are making their opportunities count. :)

Impact - Bowling: 

With Ntini and Morkel, Chennai Super Kings' bowling is surely strengthened. Hereafter, Dhoni cannot complain that Chennai Super Kings lacks strike bowlers. In experienced Ntini, Murali and young and upcoming Gony, Chennai Super Kings boast three world class strike bowlers and in Joginder and Albie Morkel, the team boasts two bowlers who had tighten the run rate in the middle overs.

Manpreet Gony to replace Sudeep Tyagi

Chennai Super Kings today signed up 24-year old Punjab all-rounder Manpreet Gony as a replacement for injured Sudeep Tyagi. Gony was selected on the basis of the recommendation by Bhupinder Singh and his good performance in Deodhar and Ranji Trophy Matches.

Six feet, four inch tall Gony, bowls with reasonable pace and can hit the ball hard. But his relative inexperience(5 First Class and 8 List A Games) would be a huge minus point since Chennai Super Kings are already one or two pace bowlers short.

News Source: Chennai Super Kings Official Website

L Balaji joins Chennai Super Kings

L Balaji, the former India fast bowler, who was out of competitive cricket with a stress fracture for nearly one and a half years, has become the last member to be included in the Chennai Super Kings squad for the Indian Premier League. If L. Balaji is fit and is able to pick out the form of his earlier days, he would be a huge asset to Chennai Super Kings team.

As V.B. Chandrasekhar rightly pointed out,

"When he’s fit and bowling well, it’s good for us, while the IPL is a platform to continue his comeback.”

Vijay Hazare Trophy(all-India one-day Knockout tournament) provides us the perfect opportunity to assess his form and fitness before the crucial Indian Premier League matches. With the inclusion of Balaji, Chennai Super Kings has an unbeatable team combination. Now it is time for the players to fire and deliver the promises.

P.S: To know the entire squad of Chennai Super Kings, Visit Chennai Super Kings Squad.

News Snippets

1. U-19 Players: As confirmed earlier this blog, both Napoleon Einstein and Abhinav Mukund have been picked by Chennai Super Kings in today's auction. But the Surprise was the addition of Leg Spinner from Vidarbha - Viraj Kadbe.
2. Probable XI: Cricinfo's probable XI for Chennai Super Kings: 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Stephen Fleming/ Abhinav Mukund, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Jacob Oram, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Michael Hussey/S Badrinath, 7 Albie Morkel/Parthiv Patel, 8 Joginder Sharma, 9 Napoleon Einstein, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan/ Makhaya Ntini, 11 Sudeep Tyagi/R Ashwin

News Snippets

1. Shadab Jakati: I should have wrote about this earlier. Goa's left arm spinner, Shadab Jakati was signed up by Chennai Super Kings, a few days earlier. He now joins Uttar Pradesh's Sudeep Tyagi, R Ashwin, Srikkanth Anirudha and S Badrinath in the list of interim signings by Chennai Super Kings.
2. Tommy Simsek: Sri Lanka team physio Tommy Simsek joins the support staff of Chennai Super Kings that already has Kepler Wessels as coach and Gregory King as physical trainer. [News Source: Hindu]
   

Future Stars - Napoleon and Mukund

U-19 Players - Napoleon Einstein and Abhinav Mukund, who were part of the U-19 world cup winning squad, share their experiences with Ergo, the all-colour tabloid from the publication house of 'The Hindu'. Both of them confirmed that a top TNCA official told them that they were going to play for the Super Kings. But the contract has not been finalized yet.

Napoleon shares,

"I am looking forward to play with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Makhaya Nitini. It will be terrific to bowl to someone like Tendulkar or Yuvraj”

Hope these young stars from Chennai get their opportunity and shine for the Chennai Super Kings... :)

Is Kepler Wessels the right coach for Chennai Super Kings?

Do you think Kepler Wessels was the right choice for Chennai Super Kings?
Especially considering the fact that Robin Singh, a Chennai-ite was poached by Hyderabad team.

V.B. Chandrasekhar in Hindu, reasons out the logic for the selection of Kepler Wessels

"We wanted somebody who would keep the focus on cricket, be a good task master, and help us win the tournament,"

Interestingly, Hindu mentions that V.B. Chandrasekhar would be the Assistant Coach of the team. An interesting and a good move considering the fact that it was Chandrasekhar who handpicked most of the team and Chandrasekhar's intimate knowledge of Indian conditions. Hindu also reports that four internationals were considered for the job of Coach. (Richard Pybus, who worked with the Pakistan national team, narrowly missed the opportunity because of his commitments in South Africa).

Kepler Wessels:

Kepler Wessels, South Africa's first Test captain of the modern era and the first man to have played ODI for two countries is surely an attractive candidate for Chennai Super Kings team. He brings a few strengths like his grit, determination, a single minded focus on winning, etc. that sets him apart from the rest. Many experts credit his toughness and fitness strategy for helping South Africa ease into World Cup - 92. He could be expected to do the same for Chennai Super Kings too, especially with regard to Under-22 players who don't have these exposure in the domestic arena. Even Wessels had underlined the same issue in his phone interview with PTI that his focus would be on the younger talent of Chennai Super Kings.

An opener who was know for his grit and determination in his career, he could be expected to inspire a "Never Give Up" approach among the players. But the clinching fact for his appointment is his 100% attention to Chennai Super Kings since he does not have any other major coaching assignments.

But on the negative side, Kepler Wessels has always been chided as an conservative player by his critics. So we could expect Chennai Super Kings to concentrate on winning rather than on entertaining the crowd with sixes and fours. His lack of international coaching experience is also a sore point.

Kepler Wessels is surely a good choice for the coach of Chennai Super Kings. But is he better than Robin Singh?. For that, we would have to wait for the matches to begin.

U-19 Players for Local Franchises Only

Cricinfo reports that

"Each of the franchises in the Indian Premier League will get the first option for picking Under-19 players from their own catchment areas, the Indian board has said. The decision comes in the wake of franchises voicing concerns over player-poaching, with local players being lured by other teams."

VB Chandrashekar, the selector for the Chennai Super Kings was upbeat on hearing the news. But he wished that it would have been great if the ruling covered U-22 players as well.

Sudeep Tyagi may join Chennai Super Kings

After the auction of the big guns, all the IPL franchises are now busy, signing up promising young cricketers, especially for under-22 bracket. According to indiatimes article, Delhi Daredevils Bangalore Royal Challengers have already signed UP's all rounder, Praveen Kumar, who is now playing in the CB series and Delhi Daredevils are all set to sign UP's southpaw opener, Tanmay Srivstava, a member of the U-19 World Cup squad. .

Another promising young bowler from UP, Sudeep Tyagi, who was the highest wicket-taker in the just-concluded Ranji season, has confirmed that "there is a strong possibility of him playing for Chennai Super Kings". He has received offers from Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai and still has not made a concrete decision.

With no academy-backed training, without a reputed coach and no godfather, Sudeep Tyagi has done very well in his debut Ranji season. Hope his well-developed in-cutter - a delivery that has given him good purchase this Ranji season, gives him success in Indian Premier League too. DNA has a special article on him - Latest Pace Ace.

Update 1: According to indiatimes article, Sudeep Tyagi has signed with Chennai Super Kings. If the news is true.. Sudeep Tyagi! Chennai Super Kings Fans welcome you.