IPL 2023 recap: Dhoni powered CSK to their fifth title
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will fight for their sixth title in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), starting on March 22. MS Dhoni's men will meet Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Meanwhile, CSK dominated the preceding season and went on to taste the glory. Here is the recap of CSK's IPL 2023 campaign.
A near-perfect campaign for CSK
CSK claimed 17 points, having won eight of their 14 games (NR: 1). Though LSG also finished with as many points, CSK's net run rate (+0.652) was better as they finished second. Dhoni's team beat table-toppers Gujarat Titans by 15 runs in Qualifier 1 to qualify for their 10th IPL final. In a rain-curtailed summit clash, CSK again beat GT by five wickets.
CSK aced the powerplay overs
As per ESPNcricinfo, CSK lost just nine wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2023, the lowest among all teams. Their batting average in this phase read 91.44. Notably, Royal Challengers Bangalore (64.75) were the only other team to have a 45-plus average in this phase. CSK's average run rate of 9.35 in the powerplay was the second-best for any team last season.
Partnership records for Gaikwad and Conway
CSK were often off to a fine start as their openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway recorded 849 runs in partnerships last year at an average of 56.60. The tally includes five half-centuries and a couple of century stands. Only RCB's Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis recorded more partnership runs last year, 939 runs at 67.07.
Here are CSK's top batters
With 572 runs at 51.69, Conway finished as the third-highest run-getter last year. His opening partner Gaikwad smothered 590 runs at a strike rate of 147.5. Shivam Dube was brilliant in the middle overs. He scored 418 runs (SR: 158.33). Ajinkya Rahane's tally read 326 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 172.48. Ravindra Jadeja scored 190 runs, striking at 142.85.
Here are their top bowlers
With 21 wickets, Tushar Deshpande was CSK's highest wicket-taker (ER: 9.92). Jadeja followed him on the list, having scalped 20 wickets (ER: 7.56). Matheesha Pathirana claimed the most wickets in the last five overs last season, 18 (ER: 8). Deepak Chahar claimed 13 wickets at 22.84. Spinners Maheesh Theekshana (11 wickets at 35.63) and Moeen Ali (9 at 21.66) also fared well.
Stellar in death overs
Pathirana's brilliance meant CSK's run rate of 10.15 in overs between 16 and 20 was the fourth-best for any team last season. While CSK claimed 43 wickets in this phase, GT (47) were the only other team with more wickets in these overs. Meanwhile, the average strike rate of CSK batters in the final five overs was a brilliant 162.27.
