Bravo praises CSK’s balanced squad ahead of new IPL season
One of Chennai Super Kings’ death over specialists, Matheesha Pathirana, who picked up 19 wickets in 12 games last year, has been sidelined recently with a hamstring injury that he picked up during the second T20 match of the ongoing series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Dwayne Bravo at an event in Chennai on Thursday (Photo: Manivasagan N)
CHENNAI: Defending champion, Chennai Super Kings, has been busy training ahead of the new season. Bowling coach Dwayne Bravo, who arrived in the city in the wee hours of Thursday, discussed the team’s balance ahead of the season opener on March 22 against arch-rival Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Chennai has reeled in some young new talents for this season, the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Sameer Rizvi, Aravelly Avinash, amongst others, and boasts good experienced players to support them. “Experience and youth are a combination that has always worked well for us. We have a very good chance of defending our trophy, but it’s not going to be easy,” said Bravo, speaking on the sidelines of the opening of the Avira Diamond store in Chennai.
One of Chennai Super Kings’ death over specialists, Matheesha Pathirana, who picked up 19 wickets in 12 games last year, has been sidelined recently with a hamstring injury that he picked up during the second T20 match of the ongoing series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
If fate has its say and things don’t go CSK’s way, Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, who was bought this season, could come into the fray to replace Pathirana. The left-arm pacer, who was named Emerging Player in the 2016 season, has picked up 47 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Our bowling attack is good; Mukesh and Shardul are back. We have Fizz (Mustafizur), so I believe we have much more depth, and having that is really important for any team,” said Bravo.
MS Dhoni joined the squad earlier this week and has been seen training hard, gearing up for the new season. Discussing how Dhoni has been working towards the new season, Bravo said, “Always looking fit, he is cool just like his hairstyle.”
Bravo also pointed out that the first match is really important, and when it’s a big-ticket clash
such as Chennai versus Bangalore, the stakes are high, and the fans would expect the team to perform well. “The Chennai crowd is one of the best. The fans are really passionate about the game; they have always been a big reason behind our success,” he added.
