Chennai Super Kings: The Manchester United of IPL

During CSK’s chase in the IPL 6 final yesterday, Harsha Bhogle was having a chat with Sachin Tendulkar. The scoreboard read 12 overs, 59/8, chasing 149. When Harsha asked Sachin about his reaction on the maiden IPL triumph that was within touching distance, Sachin stated that they (Mumbai Indians) would not get too ahead of themselves and would concentrate on finishing the job well. Even as late as the 18^th over, when the match seemed all but over, John Wright’s eagerness on passing on a message onto the field confirmed that what Sachin stated was not just a politically correct statement. That is the sort of aura that Chennai Super Kings has been able to create in the short history of IPL. Against CSK, it is not over until it is over.

The Chennai franchise’s astonishing consistency in making it to the finals every single time the IPL has been hosted in India can certainly elicit comparisons with Manchester United’s penchant of lifting the English Premier League on an almost regular basis.

However, the comparison does not end there. In the EPL in 2012-13 season, we saw several instances when Manchester United had fallen one goal, or sometimes even two goals, behind. But their never-say-die attitude had more often than not ensured that they turned the tables on their opponent and finished the match with either a win or atleast a draw. Back home in the IPL, we witnessed similar self belief displayed time and again by the Chennai franchise when they were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, be it against Royal Challengers Bangalore or Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Another area that elicits comparison of these teams is the players. If we look at the 2012-13 EPL season, on paper Manchester City’s squad was the most star-studded one. Even Chelsea had quite a lot of glittering names in their line-up. It is not to say that Manchester United did not have stars. But what set them apart was the role clarity that they had set out for each individual player and how each individual player fit into their team game.

The team selection in IPL is perhaps a little more complicated with the cap on 4 international players for each team in a game. Kolkata Knight Riders, for instance, had an excellent line of foreign players in Kallis, McCullum, Morgan, Ten Doetsche, Sunil Narine, Brett Lee and others. However, many felt that KKR failed to pick the best 4 among all the available superstars on many occasions, keeping the current form of players in mind. Similarly, Bangalore had three of the best T20 batsmen in their squad but their bowling proved to be a weak link. The Mumbai team was the costliest squad of the entire IPL with a galaxy of superstars in their line-up. Yet, most would agree that perhaps not all their purchases were prudent decisions, be it Ricky Ponting or Glenn Maxwell. This is where Chennai has been different from the others. If one takes a look at their entire squad, two things become clear.

First, they do not buy fancy players and make them sit in the dugout for most of the season. Second, whenever a new player has been inducted in the playing XI, it has never appeared that they do not fit in the CSK unit.

Also, their squad had the right balance of local and foreign players. Whenever we think of nurturing young talents, we think of Rajasthan Royals, and perhaps Kings XI Punjab. What most of us forget is the fact that when IPL started, players like Ashwin, Badrinath, Jakati and Vijay were all unknown players. As brand IPL grew, and the men in yellow established themselves as the most dominant team in this competition, these players went on to become stars in the subsequent years. In the same way, when Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham were drafted in the playing XI of Manchester United, they were a bunch of young, talented footballers. As Manchester United went on to win more and more championships, these boys evolved into national stars. Of course, these above mentioned players had come up the ranks through Man United’s junior team, something that CSK cannot boast of yet.

Moreover, there is the presence of one towering man in both these teams. Sir Alex Ferguson and MS Dhoni have been institutions in themselves. Sir Alex’s ability to bring the best out of his players and his shrewd tactics had made him the undisputed czar of the Red Devils. Similarly, our very own “Captain Cool”’s track record as a skipper (both international as well as IPL), his own phenomenal batting in limited overs cricket, his ability to keep calm under stress and having lady luck on his side more often than not, have made him the irrefutable monarch of the Chennai Super Kings.

And finally, even when it comes to the jealousy of the supporters of other teams, there is a thread that ties Manchester United and Chennai Super Kings together. In EPL, if one asks the supporters of all other clubs which club they hate the most, they would take the name of their local derby opponent and Manchester United. In IPL, the derby rivalry might not have gained prominence but the hatred for CSK has already gained momentum.

Whoever said that success makes one lonely at the top, was right.