The best-laid plans can often get undone as Chennai Super Kings are finding out. The three-time Indian Premier League champions have had a disastrous start to their 2020 season in the United Arab Emirates, with two of their players—a medium pacer and an upcoming top-order batsman—along with 11 other members of the CSK staff testing positive. While still coming to terms with the develoment, with the team eagerly looking to end the 14-day mandatory quarantine and hit the nets, it was hit by another major setback. Their key player Suresh Raina returned home due to personal reasons and made himself unavailable for entire IPL season.
Both these developments will hit CSK hard, but the latter is the real dampener. Former India player and current commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan is certain that M.S. Dhoni-led CSK will miss Raina severely. "There is no doubt. He has been a consistent run scorer for CSK, vital at number three often. With all teams looking to play a leg spinner, a left-hand batsman would be important. It pulls them back for sure."
Sivaramakrishnan, however, is hopeful that the experienced and seasoned professionals in the team, will overcome this hurdle, too.
Amrit Mathur, former CEO of Delhi Daredevils, concurred. "Somebody of Raina's calibre makes a difference. He was always a certainty in the playing XI, the team will find it difficult to replace him. He could bat at the top of the order, he was their finisher. Every IPL team has a core of seven Indians; for CSK, there is no doubt Dhoni and Raina are part of that core."
The slew of COVID-19 positive cases in the CSK ranks, means they will have to extend their quarantine and self-isolation period, which is bound to affect their preparation going into the IPL. While physical training or even knocking a bit at home is one thing, the lead up to a competition comprising intense net sessions and even practice matches, is what teams are looking at to get the players back into "match-fit" mode. The teams came early to the UAE to get enough time to get used to the conditions and bring the players' skill levels up to the mark after a five-month enforced break due to COVID-19.
Interestingly, CSK had a short training camp in Chennai at the insistence of skipper Dhoni before the team left for the UAE. The management, reportedly, was not keen on having it. There is a view now that the camp could well have been a reason for the COVID-19 positive cases.
A senior BCCI official pointed out that while the IPL is in no danger of being stalled or delayed due to these positive results, "it is still an alarm bell”.
“The positive tests show just how fragile the IPL is. Clearly, for a multi-team competition to be held in prevailing conditions has its fragility. If it was a bilateral series, one could still manage. Here, the BCCI, IPL organising machinery, the frachisees have put in all their might and resources to ensure IPL happens, yet the shadow of COVID-19 looms large over it," the official said.
