Chennai Super Kings are set to begin their title defence against southern rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore on 22 March
Ahead of the opening game of the 17th season, which takes place at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, we take a look at five things the defending champions need to keep an eye on this season
MS Dhoni's whirlwind cameos in the death overs last season proved crucial for CSK, and how the veteran performs with the bat this year could once again play a big role in deciding how far the Super Kings will go
Opener Devon Conway has formed a successful pairing with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order but is set to miss a substantial part of IPL 2024. CSK have a massive decision to make as they look for Gaikwad’s opening partner till the time he’s away
CSK have also brought New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, one of the breakout stars in last year’s ICC World Cup on board and will have to take a call on where to play him in the batting order, whether as opener Conway’s replacement or at No 3
CSK also paid a whopping Rs 8.4 crore to secure the services of Uttar Pradesh batter Sameer Rizvi, who some have described as Ambati Rayudu’s replacement in the middle order. Whether he lives up to his billing or not remains to be seen
Deepak Chahar is also set to make a return to competitive cricket after months and will be hoping to stake claim to a berth in India’s T20 World Cup squad when he dons the yellow jersey once again this IPL