
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition will kick off on March 31 with the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on the defending champions Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) on their home ground, in Ahmedabad. The Yellow Army will be eager to start off on a winning note after their disastrous run in the IPL 2022 season, where they finished in the ninth spot. It is likely that the upcoming season will be Dhoni's last and, hence, the four-time winners will be desperate to give him a fitting farewell with another title win.
In IPL 2020, CSK failed to enter the playoffs for the first time ever in their rich history. In the next season, they bounced back in style and won the trophy. In IPL 2022, they once again fell flat and, hence, many hope for them to make a strong statement in this year's edition. They have already included England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes in their setupwho will definitely provide more depth and balance to the side.
Ahead of IPL 2023, former Indian and CSK off-spinner Harbhajan Singh mentioned the player who can be Chennai's X-factor. Bhajji feels Ravindra Jadeja will be their trump card in the forthcoming season.
"The one person who everyone should keep an eye on is Ravindra Jadeja, especially how he bats for CSK. He may be promoted up the order plus he has his four overs," Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
"If you look at it from a world cricket perspective, I don't think there's a better all-rounder than him. So I’m looking forward to seeing Ravindra Jadeja in the IPL. The X factor for me will be Ravindra Jadeja because he has been very successful in these conditions as a bowler and a batsman, he’s been playing there for so many years. So for me, he is definitely going to be the X factor for the side," the veteran off-spinner further added.
Jadeja had a poor run in IPL 2022, where he led in the first eight games after being appointed the new captain ahead of the season. Under him, CSK only managed two wins whereas his own form remained a cause of concern. He ended with 116 runs at a strike rate of 118.37 and only claimed five wickets before a rib injury ruled him out after ten games.
CSK squad for IPL 2023
MS Dhoni (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma