Chennai Super Kings had finished number 7 in the points table of IPL 2020.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a disastrous outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, something the franchise isn't used to. CSK were the only franchise to feature in the playoffs of all the seasons they played before IPL 2020.
CSK speedster Deepak Chahar talked about the team's miserable performance in the IPL 2020. He said the situation before the start of the season wasn't good for the franchise. They had cricketers who aren't regular players, including the CSK captain MS Dhoni himself, and it was going to be tough for them.
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If that was not enough, Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad were tested positive ahead of the season. “The situation before the start of the IPL 2020 season was really bad for us. There are a lot of players in our squad who don't play regularly and hence we needed practice. We wanted to go to Dubai early but couldn't get permission. So, we put a small 5–6-day camp in Chennai.
“I was then tested COVID positive and had to quarantine myself for 16-17 days. Ruturaj Gaikwad also tested positive and had to quarantine himself for 28 days. If you are a bowler and you have had COVID-19 then it is really difficult to recover within 20-25 days and get back to your best,” Chahar told Sportskeeda.
CSK also missed their senior players, Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh in IPL 2020. Raina had pulled out of the tournament after traveling to UAE, while Harbhajan was already out citing a personal reason.
“Even Raina Bhai wasn't there and his absence did weaken our batting. His absence affected the balance of the squad, something which was restored in the IPL 2021 season when he returned,” Chahar said.
CSK finished at number 7 in the points table of IPL 2020. They have made a terrific comeback in the IPL 2021 with already five wins in seven matches and the franchise was at number 2 before the tournament got suspended.
(With Sportskeeda Inputs)