There are few things which makes difference in a clash between two quality teams which can't be practiced in nets. It is the intangible asset of the team and self-belief is one of those things.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is arguably the best and most consistent team of Indian Premier League (IPL). They may not have got the best set of players in action, but their management knows how to assemble them for good result.
Suresh Raina, who is an integral part of the franchise, spoke about what makes CSK different from others. Returning after 2 years, Chennai hasn't changed much with their approach. Even the new players who have joined the team adjusted really well which made the captain MS Dhoni's task easy.
Raina is playing for Chennai from season one and believes are a lot of factors that work for the Super Kings. "Given the brand of cricket we play, we always have the momentum. We have won so many matches that we believe we can win from any situation. A lot of other very good teams cannot do that. Everyone says when you get a lot of money, there is a lot of pressure," Raina told Indiatoday.in.
"When you are getting money from your office and do not do some good work, then you definitely feel some pressure.
"I think the kind of fearless cricketers who have joined us this season - Rayudu, Watson have helped and then you have a captain who has led from the front, that helps too. We have covered all our bases. Then you would have seen Harbhajan Singh has bowled really well this season for us.
"Then the experience of playing in so many playoff matches over the years has come in handy. We have so many cricketers who are experienced in the international arena. Faf du Plessis is also with us.
"Most importantly, the owners are wonderful people. That means we do not have any extra pressure and any extra baggage with us. We just need to focus on our cricket and go out in the middle and do our best. Michael Hussey and L Balaji, who are now coaches, had also played with us. The system, the core is still the same. So along with the brand, the loyalty has also remained unchanged," Raina said.
CSK retained Raina, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in the auction. They used RTM cards for Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo. Apart from them, their coaching staff has also represented CSK in the past. Stephen Fleming, Michael Hussey and L Balaji all are familiar faces of the franchise.
