Akash Chopra says Chennai Super Kings lacks ‘overall firepower’

|| India Correspondent ||

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin soon and the eight franchises are preparing in full swing for the 52-day long tournament. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) led by former Indian captain MS Dhoni was one of the first teams to start their preparations, almost a month ago for the tournament that will start on April 9.

In the last edition, CSK had a rather forgettable season. The three-time IPL champions finished seventh and missed the play-offs berth for the very first time in the history of the cash-rich league. In the upcoming season, CSK will certainly try to turn things around, however, former India cricketer and veteran commentator Aakash Chopra believes that this is not going to be easy and they may face some issues as well.

In a video shared on the Facebook page of Chopra where he said that Chennai may get off to a poor start in Mumbai due to their team picks and the overall pitch conditions at the Wankhede Stadium could play a part as well. His comments came after the new rules of the tournament that suggests that no team will play on their home ground.

In his video, Chopra said the pitch at Mumbai favours the pace bowlers more and not particularly helpful to spinners as well whereas the current CSK squad is certainly spin-heavy, he also opined that their fast bowling unit doesn’t have a lot of firepowers. Moreover, he said that if CSK wins three of their five matches in Mumbai, it will play as a huge achievement as well.

"You are required to score high in Mumbai. The first innings winning score is nearly 180. So, they’ll have to play a different brand of cricket there," he added. "They should be alright in Delhi and assists the spinner a lot. The ball turns and also keeps low at times. The pitch will suit their brand of cricket."

"They do not have a good-enough bowling attack, it is a bat vs bat contest and the team lacks overall bowling firepower required there. So, Bangalore is going to hurt them again. Kolkata is even-stevens. It’s become a high-scoring, pace-friendly ground as well. I think Chennai is going to face some difficulties there as well," he concluded.