IPL 2018: Five reasons that power the Chennai Super Kings

Bengaluru, May 23: Chennai Super Kings entered their seventh IPL final beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by two wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Tuesday (May 22). At one stage, the chase of Super Kings was in tatters losing half of the side, including skipper MS Dhoni, with around 80 runs more required.

Several other teams would have folded up, abandoning the idea of a win and bracing mentally for the IPL Qualifier 2. But not Chennai Super Kings. They fought on and reached the title round.

Mykhel looks at the five reasons that make Super Kings tick in this edition of the IPL.

Dhoni's captaincy

The Captain Cool has not lost his Midas Touch despite stepping down from India's captaincy in 2015. Like in his heydays with India, Dhoni made some moves that looked so random to the commoners' eyes. He promoted Deepak Chahar and Harbhajan Singh against Kings XI Punjab during a tough chase and it paid the desired dividends as Chahar's cameo helped CSK walk over the target.

In the IPL Qualifier 1, Dhoni gave opening slot to Faf du Plessis in the place of Ambati Rayudu, who was highly successful in that position, and the South African carried his bat to guide Super Kings to the final. Intuition has definition in MS Dhoni.

Of course, he also has excelled in his roles of a batsman and wicketkeeper in this edition of the IPL.

Experience

At the conclusion of the IPL auction in Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings was the target of trolls - Dad's Army was the most unkindest of them all. But these 30+men made a mockery of all such theories to take CSK to the final.

When #Champiom does what he is second best at! #WhistlePodu #Yellove 💛🦁 https://t.co/nFxOHddt8V via @ipl

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 23, 2018

Shane Watson, Rayudu, Dhoni, Du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo - all of them played vital roles in CSK's march along with some young names like Lungi Ngidi and Chahar. Dare to call them Dad's Army now?

Deep batting

From their regular openers - Watson and Rayudu - the Super Kings batting last up to almost No 10. Even the lower order batsmen like Chahar and Harbhajan are capable of a few beefy shots and it matters in a format like T20 where the result is often decided by a quick blow or two.

Chahar underlined that point when he made a quick 30 to rescue CSK against Kings XI Punjab in their last league game. And Shardul Thakur made a quick 15 to ease the pressure on Du Plessis in the Qualifier 1 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Uber cool lungi! Protea fire 🔥! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #Qualifier1 #SRHvCSK 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/5ossMOmkXO

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 22, 2018

Long-standing support staff

Other teams like Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians have changed the backroom staff often, at times in two consecutive seasons. But the Super Kings stuck with Stephen Fleming once his playing career with them ended a few seasons ago. Since then he has proved his man management ability in no uncertain measures.

Dhoni pointed out that fact. "We have been a very good team over the past 10 seasons, but it's more about the dressing room atmosphere. You can't do that without the players and the support staff. And if atmosphere is not good, then players will go to different directions. But somehow, we have managed to keep our boys on track," he said.

Fans

Of course, they have no direct impact on the game. But the Super Kings and their fans have developed a chord over the years. It is so strong that the CSK made all the efforts to get the Whistle Podu gang to their adopted home Pune in a chartered train.

#Yellove hello to Wankhede! #WhistlePodu #SRHvCSK #Qualifier1 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/nknhSowSOK

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 22, 2018

No other team has such a strong fan base in the IPL. And when such a force behind you, it's an extra motivation to go out and perform on the field. The fans are CSK's 12th man.