Key takeaways from CSK's campaign in IPL 2024
Chennai Super Kings narrowly missed out on a playoff berth in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). They bowed out after losing their final league-stage fixture against Royal Challengers. Though the target was 219, CSK needed 201 to secure a fourth-place finish. However, they were restricted to 191/7. Here we look at the key takeaways from their campaign.
CSK finished with seven wins
The Super Kings finished fifth in the table with seven wins in 14 matches (NRR: +0.392). Notably, CSK won five of their seven games at home, Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium. They managed just two wins in seven away fixtures. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team failed to fire consistently as the Super Kings didn't even win three games on the bounce.
Gaikwad led the batting charts for CSK
With 583 runs, Gaikwad finished as CSK's highest run-getter (SR: 141.16). Only RCB's Virat Kohli more runs in the league stage (708). However, Gaikwad lacked support as none of his teammate could manage even 400 runs. While Shivam Dube mustered 396 runs at a strike rate of 162.29, Daryl Mitchell (318) was the only other CSK batter with 300-plus runs (SR: 142.60).
Lackluster show from Rahane, Rachin
As mentioned, Gaikwad lacked support in the top order as the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra were highly inconsistent. While Rahane 242 runs at 20.16, Rachin scored 222 runs at 22.20. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni was brilliant in the finisher's role as he accumulated 161 runs at a strike rate of 220.54. He mostly batted in the end overs.
Jadeja's all-round brilliance
Meanwhile, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was impressive across all departments. He made 267 runs at 44.50. His strike rate was a healthy 142.78. The tally includes eight wickets at an economy of 7.85. His tally of six catches in the season was only second to Mitchell (9) among CSK fielders.
Sensational show from Pathirana-Mustafizur
Overseas pacers Mustafizur Rahman (international duty) and Matheesha Pathirana (injury) left the CSK camp midway through the season. This largely hampered the team's progress. While Mustafizur took 14 wickets at an economy of 9.26, Pathirana claimed 13 wickets in just six matches. His economy was 7.68 despite bowling a lot in the death overs.
How did the other bowlers fare?
Deepak Chahar's campaign was also restricted to just eight games due to fitness issues. He claimed five scalps (ER: 8.59). Meanwhile, Tushar Deshpande was CSK's highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps (ER: 8.83). Simarjeet Singh and Shardul Thakur took five wickets apiece. Both conceded runs at an economy of over 9.7.
