How CSK combined opposing elements to become a dominant IPL batting force

There appears to be an anomaly in the scorecard of the IPL 2024 season-opener.

The three spinners from Royal Challengers Bengaluru have bowled a total of five overs, conceding only 37 runs. The two fingerspinners have given away just 13 runs in three overs. However, despite the fact that the Chennai Super Kings, particularly Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni, are vulnerable to spin, RCB has stopped using spinners due to the presence of Shivam Dube, who disrupts the spin. However, despite the fact that the Chennai Super Kings, particularly Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni, are vulnerable to spin, RCB has stopped using spinners due to the presence of Shivam Dube, who disrupts the spin. RCB is instead relying on their quicks to bowl against him.

After Dube arrived at the wicket, 44 of the next 50 balls were bowled by the quicks. During this period, Dube faced only 13 of the first 31 balls of pace, allowing Jadeja to score 24 off 16 at the other end, which is a faster rate than required.

The RCB captain has a few options. They could persist with spin to shut down Jadeja's end, but this runs the risk of Dube hitting sixes and ending the match quickly. Faf Du Plessis opted for pace, hoping to dismiss Dube early and control the rest of the game with spin. Dube played smartly and allowed Jadeja to score runs against a favourable match-up.

CSK has been labelled as old-school by T20 purists in the past, with many claiming that they rely more on vibes and feel than data, and are not very innovative. They strike a balance between relying on data and trusting their instincts. In reality, they are less trigger-happy and always on the lookout for even the smallest advantage. Their intuition and feel for the game are based on data accumulated by the great cricketing minds of Stephen Fleming and Dhoni.

The unique batting order of CSK consists of batters with different strengths, making it difficult for bowlers to predict and plan their attack.  This strategy was developed after the team faced a weak bowling attack due to injuries during pre-season last year. To compensate, they focused on strengthening their batting lineup, particularly with the addition of Impact Players like Dube and Rahane, who can disrupt the opposition with their spin and pace. These players had to work hard to improve their skills and become valuable assets to the team. Dhoni played a role in changing Rahane's mindset. According to Fleming, Rahane had always been instructed to bat through the innings, but now he was advised to focus on hitting pace and either score runs or get out trying to hit spin. Meanwhile, Dube practised hitting sixes in the nets.

Since the last IPL, CSK has been one of the three quickest-scoring teams. They have moved up from the middle of the table and now win through their batting as well as their bowling. CSK have always had a strong batting lineup, but now they have even more depth thanks to the impact rule. They have also added three left-handed batters to their top eight. This year, they lost Devon Conway but managed to replace him with Rachin Ravindra, who many consider an upgrade as he is also a left-handed batter.

Ravindra adds an explosive element to Ruturaj Gaikwad's more conservative style, who prefers to bat for longer periods. Rahane aims to dismantle the pace attack, but if the openers survive the powerplay, CSK can turn to Dube and Daryl Mitchell, another right-left duo.

In the 2023 IPL, 70.64% of the balls bowled to CSK were delivered to a right-left combination. Delhi Capitals had a similar statistic, with only Punjab Kings performing better. In terms of pairing complementary batters, CSK have been the most efficient side. They add an extra layer of protection to their partner by guarding against their weaknesses.

During their second match this year, CSK faced Gujarat Titans' Sai Kishore, who bowled a tidy spell. He was 2-0-13-0 when Rahane attempted to hit him out of the ground and got stumped. Immediately, Dube came in and took down Kishore, leaving his quota uncompleted. Rashid Khan's final over was forced into the 19th.

CSK were pushed off their plan only when the ball swung and seamed for Delhi Capitals' Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma. After losing two early wickets, Daryl Mitchell was promoted ahead of Dube. By the time Dube came in, the Capitals had already faced three overs of Axar Patel. Despite having Rahane to counter Anrich Nortje and Mukesh Kumar, he fell to a slower ball from Mukesh.

Occasional failures are inevitable in T20 cricket.  However, CSK has assembled a batting line-up that, while not full of feared hitters, provides significant mitigation against failure. To keep CSK down, you will need to dismiss both openers early and also hope for an early wicket in the middle overs.

CSK's scoring contribution is not dominated by a few batters. Shiva Jayaraman presents the information in numerical form. In the IPL 2023 season, 10 players batted in the top eight positions, with the median player among those ten contributing 7.18% of the team's runs. This even spread of contributions is unmatched by any other team in the league. Although RCB had a slightly higher median percentage contribution of 7.67, this is due to their use of 13 batters in the top eight positions.

CSK has quietly managed to pair batters who can counter a wider range of threats, spreading the scoring and keeping the churn to a minimum. This provides the foundation needed to build the perfect batting innings.