How did Chennai Super Kings reach the IPL playoffs in 2023 - What worked for MS Dhoni's men?

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How did Chennai Super Kings reach the IPL playoffs in 2023 - What worked for MS Dhoni's men? image

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a dismal end to their 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) Campaign. It was only the second time in the tournament’s history that the men in yellow missed on the knockout stages. However, it was the second time in three seasons that it had occurred. 

A response was required from the management and the players to get things right in 2023, and Boy oh Boy, did they fix it! The Super Kings have had a stellar season as the fans returned to the stadium, and the IPL returned to normality. 

CSK have finished their group stage with a majestic win away at Delhi. With that, not only did they book a seat in the playoffs, but they also finished in the Top 2. They have that margin of error, as they get two chances to make it to the grand IPL final. 

MS Dhoni's men lived up to their name and played with sheer maturity and resilience throughout the season.

MORE: How to watch IPL 2023 season online and on TV Full list of players, teams for IPL 2023

Chennai Super Kings fixtures, results, and Man of the Match in 2023 league stage

With eight wins and 17 points in 14 games, the Chennai Super Kings finished second-best to the Gujarat Titans on the points table.

Date

Match

Venue

Result

Man of the Match

March 31, 2023

Gujarat Titans

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Loss by 5 wickets

Rashid Khan

April 3, 2023

Lucknow Super Giants

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Won by 12 runs

Moeen Ali

April 8, 2023

Mumbai Indians

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Won by 7 wickets

Ravindra Jadeja

April 12, 2023

Rajasthan Royals

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Loss by 3 runs

Ravi Ashwin

April 17, 2023

Royal Challengers Bangalore

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Won by 8 runs

Devon Conway

April 21, 2023

Sunrisers Hyderabad

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Won by 7 wickets

Ravindra Jadeja

April 23, 2023

Kolkata Knight Riders

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Won by 49 runs

Ajinkya Rahane

April 27, 2023

Rajasthan Royals

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Loss by 32 runs

Yashasvi Jaiswal

April 30, 2023

Punjab Kings

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Loss by 4 wickets

Devon Conway

May 3, 2023

Lucknow Super Giants

Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium

NO RESULT

N/A

May 6, 2023

Mumbai Indians

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Won by 6 wickets

Matheesha Pathirana

May 10, 2023

Delhi Capitals

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Won by 27 runs

Ravindra Jadeja

May 14, 2023

Kolkata Knight Riders

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Loss by 6 wickets

Rinku Singh

May 20, 2023

Delhi Capitals

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Won by 77 runs

Ruturaj Gaikwad

May 23, 2023

Gujarat Titans

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

N/A

N/A

Chennai Super Kings' best batsmen in IPL 2023 league stage

The opening duo of Conway and Gaikwad is the main reason CSK has scored four totals of 200 or above. 

The southpaw from New Zealand, Devon Conway, has had the best season with the bat for the Chennai Super Kings. He has scored 585 runs in 13 innings at a healthy average of 53.18.

Indian youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad has scored over 500 runs, striking at nearly 150. 

The Super Kings middle-order was blessed with Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane, who reinvented themselves in the ongoing IPL season. Both have been tremendously magnificent in turning CSK into a formidable batting unit. 

Player

Innings

Runs

Average

S.R.

50s

100s

Best

Devon Conway

13

585

53.18

138.62

6

0

92*

Ruturaj Gaikwad

13

504

42.00

148.23

3

0

92

Shivam Dube

12

385

38.50

160.41

3

0

52

MORE: Make your IPL 2023 predictions and win prizes with Dafabet in Premier League Mania

Chennai Super Kings' best bowlers in IPL 2023 league stage

Tushar Deshpande was a surprise package for CSK this season. The bowling unit was stunted by Deepak Chahar injured for most of the season, and Mukesh Chaudhary was ruled out with a long-term injury. 

However, Tushar rose to the occasion and was Dhoni’s go-to man with the new ball. He picked up 20 wickets in 14 innings, with best figures of 3/45. 

One cannot leave Ravindra Jadeja out of the mix, can they? The spinner bagged 17 wickets while bossing the middle overs. 

Matheesha Pathirana was deployed as the impact-sub and used predominantly in the death overs. The Sri Lanka speedster had an impressive season, picking 15 wickets in 10 matches. 

Player

Matches

Wickets

Average

S.R.

Econ.

Best

Tushar Deshpande

14

20

23.25

14.65

9.52

3/45

Ravindra Jadeja

14

17

22.05

17.29

7.65

3/20

Matheesha Pathirana

10

15

19.33

15.33

7.56

3/15

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