Chennai Super Kings looked comfortable to reach the playoffs at one stage. However, they suffered a defeat to RCB at Bengaluru and the 27-run margin meant that it was RCB that went across the line to the playoffs. In the past, CSK was hardly involved in the race to the playoffs. They were usually comfortable in reaching the Top 4. On that note, here, we take a look at the list of three main reasons for CSK’s failure in IPL 2024.
1) Injuries to key players
The season has been difficult for CSK when it comes to handling the injuries of the cricketers. Devon Conway was a major miss for the side due to an injury.
Matheesha Pathirana, Deepak Chahar and Mustafizur Rahman were also not available for many games due to various reasons. All of this had an impact on the combination that CSK had on the field.
2) Inconsistent batting order
The inconsistent batting order is one of the main reasons for CSK’s failure in IPL 2024. It was a surprise that CSK did not stick to a consistent batting order, something that they used to do in every season before IPL 2024.
One of the tournament’s best openers Ruturaj Gaikwad played at No.3 often. Daryl Mitchell almost played in every batting position. Ravindra Jadeja got in at No.4 at times. Against RCB, it was Rahane who batted at No.4. All of this might have not given the correct clarity to the batters.
3) Backing the players too much
CSK is known for backing players and in the past, this has done well for them. However, this time around, this just did not work out for the five-time champions.
The likes of Ajinkya Rahane were backed too much by the management. Even Daryl Mitchell got some extra games in the playing XI before he found form. This is an aspect CSK might want to change in the future.
