Four mistakes Chennai must avoid if they are to defend their title

Chennai has been the most consistent team in the history of the Indian T20 League. They have played in the finals of the tournament nine times and have won the trophy 4 times.

In 2021, Chennai scripted one of the greatest turnarounds. The team finished last in 2020 but roared back to win the trophy in the next edition. 

The 15th season of the tournament is due to begin on the 26th of March, 2022. This year, Chennai will look to defend the title. The squad that they have assembled looks balanced on the sheet, but the team should avoid the following mistakes to defend the title.

1. Depending too much on Ruturaj to give them solid starts

Ruturaj Gaikwad impressed everybody in 2020 with the minimum number of appearances that he made. He was praised by everybody for the elegance that he portrayed. In 2021, Gaikwad picked up from where he left in 2020. He gave Chennai some brilliant starts and was consistent throughout the tournament.

Ruturaj finished as the highest scorer of the tournament. He scored 635 runs in the tournament at an average of 45.35 and a strike rate of 136.26. Chennai will be looking towards Gaikwad to give them solid starts, but the top order should not become over-dependent on the youngster and the players batting around him should also take some responsibilities to avoid extra pressure on the young batter. Over-reliance on him would also lead to the top order crumbling in matches where the batter fails to score.