Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made a historic return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) after serving a two year’s ban due to spot-fixing. The franchise led by MS Dhoni defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad to win their third title – thus equaling with Mumbai Indians. Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson played a title-winning knock in the grand finale scoring an unbeaten century to help his side lift the title. Meanwhile, the yellow brigade can once again be optimistic about their chances in IPL 2019 with the batting form of Watson.
The veteran all-rounder remained unbeaten on 117 runs from just 57 deliveries including 11 fours and eight sixes to chase down the target of 179 runs with nine balls to spare. Besides, he had a superb tournament finishing with 555 runs from 15 games including two centuries and fifties each. Moreover, Shane Watson also picked six wickets and is a handy customer with the ball. A lot of experience behind his back, Watson can pace his innings according to the situation. He provided stability in the top-order which set the tone for the Chennai Super Kings in the long tournament.
Watson in red hot form
The Chennai franchise will once again want their star all-rounder to be in his top-form in all the department. However, with only a few days to go for the season-opener, the devastating form of Shane Watson will help them breathe a sigh of relief. The all-rounder has been in red hot form for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League. Although he didn’t score runs in the finals, Watson has been consistent throughout the season.
Shane Watson ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 430 at a strike-rate of 143.81 with four half-centuries. In all, he hit 22 sixes – the most in the PSL and 43 boundaries. Despite his failure in the final, the former Aussie cricketer bagged the award for the most valuable player and the best batsman. In the Qualifier last week, the 37-year-old smacked 71 runs off just 43 deliveries which included five fours and six towering sixes. Besides, he also picked the vital wicket of Keiron Pollard to seal a 10-run victory over Peshawar Zalmi.
This will undoubtedly be a massive booster for the Chennai Super King ahead of IPL 2019. Having retired from international cricket, Shane Watson will be available for the full season. However, too many games can pose a threat of fatigue for the veteran cricketer – CSK needs to manage it well to keep him fit for the whole season.