Chennai Super Kings ( CSK ) is one of the most popular and loved teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). This team has a history of pulling off amazing comebacks.
A little after the 2018 season of IPL, in which CSK came back after a 2-year break to grab the title. The captain of the team Mr. MS Dhoni quoted that the franchise needs to live up to the expectations of its fans and should have a striking comeback.
By being the champion team 4 times, CSK is undoubtedly the favorite amongst the audience even in 2022.
Their secret to success is their amazing team at the IPL auctions. By retaining most of their core team members they have somewhat booked their place in the IPL playoffs irrespective of the new 10 – IPL team format.
1st Comeback In 2018 IPL CSK V/S MI
It was the first game that set the tone for CSK to have such an amazing comeback. And now this comeback was going to be like a campaign.
While facing their biggest rival Mumbai Indians (MI), CSK had a rough time. The score was 51 runs and 4 wickets which later got worst (84 runs and 6 wickets) while chasing their target of 166.
All the top batters from CSK were scalped out by Hardik Pandya and Mayank Markande. And none of the top 6 batters could score more than 25 runs.
However, MI players were going to face yet another batter who they knew, should not be underestimated. Dwayne Bravo: Famous for his batting that shows no mercy to bowlers. His power-hitting display and abilities are just amazing.
This West Indian batsman scored 68 runs in 30 balls which include 7 power-packed sixes. After dragging the team closer to the finish line Bravo was dismissed in the 19th over. That left Kedar Jadhav to score 7 runs off 6 balls.
This last over was bowled by Mustafa Rahman. Kedar took some balls to become set to the pitch and then scooped over one fine leg beyond the boundary line to score 6 runs.
It was a very neck-to-neck match but CSK made it back to the series with just one wicket and one ball to spare. It was enough to create tension among CSK fans, but in the end, there was a cheerful result.
CSK’s 2nd Comeback In 2018 Qualifier Match Against SRH
The pressure of being away for 2 years was already present. And even though they got back most of the core members in the auction, they were not strong enough to compete against others for the title.
However, Dhoni’s team lived up to expectations and secured a Qualifier-1 date against Sunraisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Unfortunately, things did not go quite well this time as well. In their chase of 140 runs, they lost 6 of their batsmen. Siddharth Kaul and Rashid Khan scalped 2 wickets each which made winning near to impossible for CSK.
Team CSK had immense pressure to secure a spot in the finals. And with this pressure, Faf du Plessis displayed an outstanding batting performance. By hitting four sixes and five fours this South African transpired a miracle into this almost-losing match.
With 5 balls to spare, Faf guided CSK across the finish line and helped it secure a spot in the finals. Unbeaten by 67 runs off 42 balls, Faf’s admirable display for this high-pressure and important match was much needed for CSK.
In addition, a few days later CSK beat the same opponent in the finals and grabbed the IPL title.
3rd Comeback In The 2021 IPL Final Against KKR
CSK had a very rough time in IPL 2020. They did not even qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history. They had a huge pressure to deliver the best in the 2021 season.
By finishing the top two and defeating Delhi Capitals in the qualifying round, CSK made it to the finals.
CSK won the toss and by choosing to bat, they scored whooping 192 runs giving a difficult target to Kolkata Knight Raiders (KKR) to chase.
The contribution of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, and Moeen Ali was very crucial. In addition, Faf du Plessis scored 86 runs single-handedly giving the extra boost of difficulty to the opposition team.
But, KKR was not a team of losers, they were chasing aggressively. With all wickets intact, KKR scored 91 runs. Dhoni even felt the need to shell an extra player behind the stumps to create more pressure on in-form Venkatesh Iyer.
But as anticipated, CSK yet again managed to pull the game back onto their side. A fantastic catch by Ravindra Jadeja took out Venkatesh. And, eventually, the aggressive batting of KKR was slowed significantly.
KKR went from 91 runs and 0 wickets to 125 runs and 8 wickets. Shivam Mavi and Lockie Ferguson tried their best to turn the tables but they were not successful.
And yet again, CSK had a fantastic comeback to live up to their expectations.
Conclusion
Now you know why CSK is one of the most loved teams in IPL. It is all about the game they display and the kick of thrill they give.
Their history to turn a losing game into a clean win is something that keeps the thrill until the last ball of the game.
Now that you know about the comebacks that CSK has shown, What do you think? Will CSK win in IPL 2023? We will get to see it soon.
