Coming from a high of IPL 2021 title glory, the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got off to a worst possible start in the ongoing 15th edition of the cash-rich league. CSK lost their first four matches owing to which they slumped to bottom of the points table.
Nobody expected such a patchy start from CSK, who have won four titles and reached the playoffs 11 times in their 13 IPL appearances.
Right before the advent of IPL 2022, MS Dhoni decided to hand over the CSK's captaincy baton to the star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who is drawing a lot of flak for being responsible for his side's losing streak. However, yellow army's batting coach Mike Hussey has a different view to this. He threw his weight behind Jadeja and said the the newly appointed skipper has full backing of his teammates and the team to the hilt.
"Yeah, it (making Jadeja skipper) is a big change. Obviously, MS Dhoni was the captain for such a long period of time and he has done an amazing job. But the great thing is that he is still here to help Jadeja along the way in his first year as captain. So, I know that Jadeja and MSD are talking almost every day about captaincy, about tactics and how leadership works along with Stephen Fleming the coach, and to try and make the transition as smooth as possible," Hussey said.
"Everyone respects Jadeja very highly and we are coming to terms with a new captain and how Jadeja likes to go about it. But, so far so good, he is doing a very good job, and I am just hoping we can get a few wins on the board very soon to help Jadeja feel more relaxed as captain. Everyone is supporting Jadeja and we are hoping for some victories very soon," he further added.
Chennai, the defending champions, struggled to reach 131/5 in the tournament opener, against Kolkata Knight Riders. They turned things around with 210/7 against Lucknow Super Giants, but Lucknow outdid them at hitting. Against Punjab Kings, they collapsed to 126, while they scored 154/7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who were without a win until that match.
CSK will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday in Navi Mumbai with the aim to bag their maiden win in IPL 2022.
