Mumbai: Speaking on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Varun Aaron analyzed CSK’s season:
“I think poor form has affected the entire team, especially the bowling unit. CSK really depended on Pathirana to get them wickets at the back end and defend totals, but he’s been completely off the boil. He’s changed his action a bit, he’s not landing his yorkers, and has bowled 31 extras this tournament — that’s a lot for a frontline bowler. With the bat, they’ve lacked impetus in the middle overs. Brevis has come in and provided a bit of high-octane energy, but before that, it was missing. They need to go back to the drawing board and evaluate what went wrong at the auction. They don’t have someone like Tristan Stubbs or Tim David to finish innings. Yes, MS Dhoni is there — but you can’t keep depending on him for 18 years.”
JioStar expert Aaron Finch shared his surprise at Nathan Ellis not being a regular in the CSK playing XI:
“If CSK are admitting things haven’t gone right, then yes — they need to go back to the drawing board. I can’t believe Nathan Ellis hasn’t played more regularly. He’s a world-class bowler who can operate in all three phases. Meanwhile, Pathirana’s been going around the park and not executing like he used to. CSK have lacked finishing ability with the bat — you add 20 more runs today and the game becomes very different. I actually thought they had enough runs until the heavy dew came in late. But overall, the fielding has been poor, with catches going down. That puts you on the back foot — and when that happens, you need to play a near-perfect game to win.”
Varun Aaron praised the clarity and structure brought in by Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer’s leadership combination:
“Ricky made it clear at the start of the IPL — this is his team, and he’s going to run it his way. He brought in Shreyas as captain, and they already had a great relationship from their Delhi Capitals days. That comfort is visible in how the team plays. They look like a very positive unit, backing their players and playing a good brand of cricket. Most importantly, Shreyas is in form, especially in away games. He’s spoken about preparing differently, working with the new ball, and challenging himself in the nets — and when you push yourself in practice, it shows in performance.”
Finch reflected on the challenges of captaincy and the aura of MS Dhoni at this stage of his career:
“When Dhoni gave up the captaincy a few years ago, I don’t think he thought he’d have to deal with all this again. But it hasn’t gone CSK’s way this season. MS is 43, not playing much cricket, just turning up for the IPL — but every moment he’s on the field is magical. The noise when he walks out of the dressing room… when he comes out to bat… it’s unbelievable. I urge every cricket fan — if you can, you must go to a CSK game while MS Dhoni is still playing.”
Varun Aarons’ take on the upcoming Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians game:
“Mumbai Indians are like a diesel engine — once they heat up, they just steamroll everyone in their path. They’ll want to wrap things up early and not leave it till the end. Rajasthan will be hoping for another ‘baby’s day out’ performance — that’s what they’ll need to stop Mumbai.”
