Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are having a tough time in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they have lost all 4 games so far, occupying the last position on the points table.

The Chennai-based franchise, however, remains the most consistent team in the tournament’s history.  CSK have won four titles and advanced to the IPL playoffs in 11 out of their 12 seasons. Veteran CSK batter Robin Uthappa recently shed light on what makes the team so successful.

Shane Watson and Suresh Raina, according to Uthappa, were two of the other few players who were strongly encouraged by the then skipper MS Dhoni and the coaching staff and they delivered at the right time. Watson, in the 2018 finals played an innings to remember. Chasing 179 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), striking 11 boundaries and 8 sixes, he scored 117 off 57 balls which helped the team win the Cup. Raina too has played many match-winning knocks.

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Uthappa recalled it while speaking to former CSK spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, and felt that the team has always backed their key players and that is the reason behind their success.

“I think this is the secret to successful IPL franchises. They have a large support staff. And one of the things as soon as you enter this setup is that there is loyalty and a sense of security within this group. Their trainers and physios have been around since the inception of IPL. And as a player, you see...from the outside, I have seen when CSK gives someone an opportunity it is for 5-6 games or even 7 games.”

"They think that you are really good. They bought into you completely as a person and as a player. Like Shane Watson had a bad IPL in 2018 till the finals, right? And then he did something incredible for us. Similar with Sureshy (Suresh Raina) as well. There are times when he wouldn't have performed well in the first 8 games. But they have stuck with him and suddenly, in the last 6 games, he has changed the whole course of the tournament with his performances,” he said. 

Robin Uthappa also noted that the management not just looks after the players in the starting XI, but also those who aren't and that helps the players who are sitting on the bench maintain a positive attitude. The Indian veteran admitted that he was given the clarity by the then skipper in his first season for the franchise that he won’t be in the playing XI for the first few matches.

“When I came here, that was communicated to me - 'When you get an opportunity, you will get 4 or 5 games for sure. But you have to wait for your opportunity.' For me, clarity and communication are very important. So for me, one thing that I liked about that first conversation with MS was that he told me, 'As of now, you don't walk into my playing XI. We are two months away from IPL. We will see where it goes in the next couple of months. Because I am not thinking about it at this point in time.' Then when I came here, they told me, 'Listen, you are in the top 12 or 13. But you might not get the first game. You might have to wait for your turn.' I said, 'Fair enough, that communication is there,'” he further said. 

“What was really nice after that was that every week or once in 4-5 days, one coach or the other would come and speak to me and say, 'What can I do for you? How can I help you prepare for what's coming for you? Or, what do you want to improve on?' They understood that, at that point where I played 190 IPL games and I was sitting outside.”

"It was very easy for someone who has played those many matches to become negative. But what helped me keep that good attitude was that they spoke to me and made sure I was paid attention to at practice when the main guys who were in the XI weren't practicing. I truly believe that the health of a good IPL team or a successful IPL team is very reliant on how the guys who are not in the XI are taken care of because they set the atmosphere and the tone of the team.”

The Chennai team will face the Royal Challengers Banglore on Tuesday (April 12) at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

(HT INPUTS)