Chennai Super Kings are on a roll off late in IPL 2018. With 7 wins and 3 losses in the league, they are all set make it through to the Playoffs. They are next to play Rajasthan Royals and if they manage to clinch that match, they will storm into the knockout stage.
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Although CSK are doing very well, they have some chinks in the armour which they need to address going forward. When you are on a winning streak, many things get hidden under the joy of the win and do not get as much attention as they should.
For instance, CSK’s death bowling is a grave cause of concern for the team. With 10 matches done and dusted, they have not settled down with their death bowling options. Both Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur have gone for a lot of runs in the death overs and need to step up their game big time.
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Another concern for them is that some of their batsmen are going through a lean patch. Ambati Rayudu has got them off to great starts but even the best of batsmen can have an off day. Another batsman who has been clinical for Chennai is skipper MS Dhoni. The veteran keeper- batsman has lead from the front and has taken his team over the line with several nail-biting finishes.
However, there are a few batsmen who have yet to click consistently. Here are 3 such CSK batsmen who are due for runs:
Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina has been the most consistent batsmen for CSK over the years. With close to 4800 runs in IPL history, Raina and Kohli are in contention to breach the magic figure of 5000 runs. With 261 runs in 9 innings this year, Raina has actually not fared as badly as it seems.
The southpaw has a couple of good knocks to show against his name. But his franchise and the CSK fans expect a lot more out of him. Raina has not come up with the sort of match winnings that we are so used to seeing from him in the IPL.
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Sam Billings
Sam Billings won CSK a match with a half century against KKR. In a match that went down to the wire, Billings scored a power-packed 56 to defeat KKR by 5 wickets.
However, Billings has failed to fire since then. As an overseas player, one expects a lot more from him. With Faf du Plessis in contention for the same spot, Billings has to something special to win back the faith of the CSK management.
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo played a blinder of a knock in the first match against Mumbai. Bravo blasted the MI bowlers to all parts of the park at a Strike rate of over 225. With a 68 run knock, he pummeled CSK to the doorsteps of victory. Kedar Jadhav did the rest and CSK has not looked back since.
However, after that knock Bravo has not been able to do anything special with the bat. Another concern is that he has been slotted below Jadeja in the batting order which is also hampering his performances.
