How Chennai Super Kings Use Spinners Differently Than Others

The T20 format has become old enough for the teams to realise mixing things up is the way to restrict the batters to a low total. The teams try various strategies to make things difficult for the batters and one thing that has evidently worked is matchups. 

Matchups mean the teams deploy specific players for specific roles and even for specific players from the opposition. These are tactical decisions that are discussed and planned before the game.

While the teams have evolved consistently through the years to up their tactical game, one team hasn't changed much in these years - Chennai Super Kings(CSK). They have gone the classical way - pacers, spinners, and pacers. 

Chennai doesn't experiment much with their set template, which they probably discuss before the season begins. CSK always get variety in their bowling lineup - powerplay specialists, spinners, enforcers, and death-over specialists and use them in almost the same way in every game, irrespective of the opposition. 

While many teams have realised that bowling spinners to opening batters, who smash pace is the way to go - CSK still bowl a pacer to them through their powerplay specialist bowlers. 

They only use spin in the middle orders. In 2019, CSK had Harbhajan Singh in the team and they mostly used him in the first six overs but that's it, no other spinner gets to bowl in that phase consistently. 

With no Harbhajan in the squad, since 2020, Dhoni bowled a spinner only four times, for one over, in four different games. He only used them in the middle overs where he thought he can provide them control. 

This doesn't mean that this template gave CSK an upper hand. They had the second-worst economy rate in the middle overs in IPL 2020 - 8.2 and third-worst in the IPL 2021 - 7.75. 

In IPL 2021, CSK mainly bowled Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali throughout the tournament and in the upcoming 2022 season as well, the duo will be back to handle the spin department. 

The lack of variety in the spin bowling department and a very similar template from CSK will make things easy for the opposition to plan. If the team deploys at least two spin hitters (like Nicholas Pooran for example) then the new decision Ravindra Jadeja will have to rethink about the next over and that isn't the situation captains like to be in. 

In IPL 2021, CSK had a very strong and deep batting lineup that allowed the players to play freely. The batters went hard and scored enough for the bowlers to defend or batters were good enough to cover the faults of the bowlers. 

But now, the squads have changed and CSK's batting has reduced by at least one batter in the lower order. This means that a lot of games will have to eventually come down to how well the bowlers can bowl. 

These are the matches where CSK will need control from the spinners and might want to change tactically. Will CSK continue to follow a set template or the teams will finally make the defending champions go to plan B?