Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
5 key reasons why MI and CSK are so successful in the IPL | MI and CSK rivalry | Why are Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings so successful?
The IPL was born 12 years ago, and 12 teams (taking SRH and Deccan as one) have played in the competition. Mumbai Indians (4 times) and Chennai Super Kings (3 times) have been the two-most dominant teams, winning the title seven times between them.
They are the two most successful and consistent sides in the league, but the way both teams operate is very different from one another. However, despite having a very different approach, one thing common between the arch-rivals is success.
So, why are these teams successful? What are they doing differently compared to the other sides? What makes them the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians that we love seeing playing? Let’s get into it:
Also read: 4 reasons why MI edge CSK
1. Leadership
CSK and MI have two great leaders in MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma respectively. Both have played a vital role in what their teams have achieved until now.
MI had never won the title until Rohit Sharma was appointed the skipper mid-season in 2013, after Ponting stepped down. Not only that, Rohit won three more titles in the span of six years, making him the most successful captain in the IPL.
MS Dhoni, on the other hand, has been doing what he’s known for as a captain for a period of 10 seasons. CSK have qualified for the play-offs in all the 10 seasons they’ve played, with eight finals, winning three under Dhoni. He also has the best winning percentage in the league.
Both captains know how to get the best out of any player and are very calm in crunch situations. Indeed, Dhoni and Rohit are one of the biggest reasons why Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the top teams in franchise cricket.
2. Management
Along with the captains, the team management also plays a very important role in a team’s success. From the auction table to scouting players, management is a very essential part of any franchise.
Here again, both team’s managements have their own ways, which, as mentioned, are very different from each other.
At MI, everything gets done very systematically. They analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents, makes plans, and play according to them. They have a great scout team which has proved to be very important for them.
CSK, on the other hand, is all about Dhoni along with Fleming. The team management has given full control to him. Dhoni is the scout and the management, he does the management’s job with coach Fleming. Their team meetings hardly last for two minutes as and they don’t really think about the match before the game day. They back their abilities, knowing full well how to take advantage of player strengths.
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3. Strong Core and Auction Strategy
CSK and MI have maintained a strong core of Indian players, along with a few overseas stars over the years. After all, it’s the “Indian” Premier League and you have to have seven good domestic players in the XI. Both franchises have understood this quite well.
Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Lasith Malinga, etc. for MI and MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, DJ Bravo, etc. form that core for CSK.
Teams like RCB and KXIP have lacked that core of players over the years and that reflects in their overall performances. Both the MI and CSK managements have been spot on the with their picks in the auction. They picked players according to their strengths and weaknesses and that is the most important thing if you have to build a successful team.
Also read: Why have RCB struggled compared to MI and CSK?
Be it Jasprit Bumrah and the Pandya brothers for MI or Shane Watson and Imran Tahir for CSK, they are very smart with their buys and this is another aspect that makes them different from the other franchises. Also, MI picking Chris Lynn for his base price and CSK picking Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood shows how smart they are in picking the players.
4. Exploiting Home Advantage
Another thing that these two teams have done over the years is exploit the home advantage.
Both these teams have the perfect squad for their home grounds. Mumbai have players like Chris Lynn, Quinton de Kock, Pollard, Bumrah, Malinga etc. for the hard Wankhede track. CSK has an army of spinners like Tahir, Harbhajan, Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Sai Kishore, Chawla etc. to bowl on the dustbowl of Chepauk.
However, it is not like that the two sides are solely dependent on their home grounds for winning games. But, doing well at home helps in building momentum, which stems from a good auction strategy.
5. Trusting and Backing Players
MI and CSK both stay calm after losing a game or two. They don’t panic and make a lot of changes in their playing XI. They have a tried and tested playing XIs and they avoid making changes frequently. Also, they back their players until they perform, which again, is a sign of excellent leadership.
Picking Shane Watson after his below-average performance for RCB in 2017 was very surprising itself and CSK backed him in his bad phase. Eventually, he performed and helped them win the 2018 title and almost again in 2019.
Similarly, Mumbai backed and gave chanced to young players like Jasprit Bumrah, Pandya brothers, Rahul Chahar, etc and now they are the permanent members of their side.
Both sides are very different in their approach, but it has given them the desired results. Their tried-and-tested methods are the key reasons, along with a great team environment, that makes these two sides the top two teams; not only in IPL but amongst all the franchises around the globe.
Thanks for reading!
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today
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