Scott Styris, the former New Zealand all-rounder was of the opinion that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might find it difficult in IPL 2020, considering that their senior players are ageing and have not played much cricket in the recent past.
Scott Styris made this observation during an interaction about Chennai Super Kings’ chances in the upcoming IPL in the Star Sports show Game Plan. CSK squad has Imran Tahir, Shane Watson, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Murali Vijay, Faf Du Plessis, Kedar Jadhav all of whom are aged above 35 years.
Scott Styris Feels IPL 2020 May Pose The Biggest Test In MS Dhoni’s Tenure
The former CSK player was asked about the franchise’s chances in this year. He responded that there are many reasons due to which IPL 2020 could pose to be the biggest test in MS Dhoni’s stint as the CSK captain.
“I think in my mind this is the toughest challenge that MS Dhoni would have faced in his tenure at Chennai Super Kings and it is on many fronts,” Scott Styris added.
Scott Styris observed that the primary concern for the skipper could be that he has not played cricket for a long while, and added that age might finally be catching up with the skipper much to the dismay of his fans.
“One individually he has not played a lot of cricket, he is getting a little older, Father Time is catching up, which is sad for all of us cricket fans,” Scott Styris added.
The Kiwi all-rounder mentioned that MS Dhoni would have to ensure that he is at the top of his game and is fully prepared for the prestigious tournament.
“So, he has to make sure that his own game is under control and that his preparation is right. So he has got that to worry about,” he said.
CSK won IPL in 2010,2011 and 2018 and are only behind Mumbai Indians in terms of IPL wins.
Scott Styris On Uncertainty With Positive Tests And Suresh Raina And Harbhajan Singh Opting Out
Scott Styris highlighted the positive COVID results in the Chennai Super Kings’ camp, apart from Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh’s absence from IPL 2020, as some of the setbacks suffered by the franchise recently.
“Then the dramas of CSK, firstly with the positive tests and then Raina and Harbhajan leaving the group.”
At least 13 staff members including two cricketers Deepak Chahar and Rituraj Gaekwad tested positive which shocked CSK who were further jolted when it was learnt Suresh Raina left for India and Harbhajan Singh not arrived in UAE both citing personal reasons. Both are among the top three in leading run-scorer and wicket-taker respectively in IPL history.
He signed off by observing that the senior members of the Chennai Super Kings’ squad, referred to as the Dad’s army by certain quarters, is also a year older in IPL 2020 with not much competitive cricket behind them.
“Now he has got some uncertainty, he has got an older group. Every year we talk about Dad’s army, the thing is that they are now another year older and all of those players haven’t played a lot of cricket,” he concluded.
Apart from MS Dhoni, some of the other senior members in the CSK squad like Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay and Kedar Jadhav have not played competitive cricket for a long while.
This could hinder preparations and planning for the Chennai-based franchise in their quest for a record-equaling fourth IPL title.