March 22nd will mark the start of the 17th Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which pits the defending champion Chennai Super Kings against Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, after the IPL 2024 schedule was revealed and Chennai was chosen to host the competition’s opening match, former CSK player Abhinav Mukund boldly declared that Chepauk is ‘no longer a fortress’ for the five-time winners. Let’s illuminate this topic further in the following blog post “Chepauk’s Losing Streak: Former CSK Star Doubts Dhoni’s Team for IPL 2024 Opener”. And for additional insights into cricket and IPL 2024, make sure to check out iplcricbet.
IPL Carnival Begins: IPL 2024 Schedule Revealed
In the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni and his team emerged as winners as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) trounced the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Captain Dhoni of CSK, who retains the record for most caps in IPL history, is getting ready to unite his team for this year’s biggest cricket extravaganza yet. The IPL 2024 opening match between record-holders CSK and Faf du Plessis’ RCB will take place on March 22 at Chennai’s storied MA Chidambaram stadium.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the first fifteen days of the schedule for the 2024 Indian Premier League on Thursday. The first fifteen days of this season’s cash-rich tournament will feature up to twenty-one matches. The new season’s opening tournament at the Chepauk next month will feature the sensational reunion of Dhoni and Kohli, while Hardik Pandya will captain Mumbai Indians (MI) against his previous team Gujarat Titans (GT) for the first time.
CSK vs RCB Has Been an Intense Rivalry
Abhinav Mukund, the former opener for India and a four-year CSK employee from 2008 to 2012, admitted that RCB has always had confidence in their ability to defeat Dhoni’s CSK in their home ground of the Yellow Brigade. The former CSK player asserted that Chennai’s home field is no longer a stronghold for Dhoni’s team while discussing the exciting match between RCB and CSK on Jio Cinema. “Over the years, CSK and RCB have developed a strong rivalry. RCB was quite close to victory at Chepauk, but they were unable to cross the finish line. Mukund believes that some of these occurrences will live on in the memories of the fans.
Chepauk No Longer a Fortress for CSK
The Chennai Super Kings have considered Chepauk to be a joyful hunting field for over ten years, but things have changed recently. Former CSK player Abhinav Mukund asserted that Dhoni and his team no longer consider Chepauk to be a defensive stronghold. March 22, the home team vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, is the location of the inaugural IPL 2024 match.
Abhinav Mukund claims that Chepauk is “no longer a fortress” for the five-time victors. Former Chennai Super Kings player Mukund (2008–2012) said on Thursday that he thinks CSK will prevail even if RCB can fancy their chances.
“The modified pitches in Chennai are a plus for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. It is no longer CSK’s stronghold. They took home the trophy last year, although they lost against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Punjab Kings. However, considering their spinners and the spin-friendly conditions, CSK appears stronger on paper,” the former India batter was quoted by Jio Cinema as saying.
Sanjay Manjrekar Anticipates Dhoni’s Leadership Prowess
Former Indian hitter Sanjay Manjrekar predicted that Dhoni would be leading like always.
“MS Dhoni will perform his job. Like he did last season, he’ll show us the kind of captaincy that makes such a big difference,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by Star Sports.
“The importance of captaincy in the Indian Premier League is clear from MS Dhoni’s performance in the previous season. He did contribute a little as a batter, but his specialty is turning inexperienced and young guys into champions,” he continued.
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