'I hope they make it to playoffs, it's been a tough start': Ex-CSK star says he's fighting 'FOMO' amid 3 straight losses
The defending champions will look to get off the mark when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.
Four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entered the 15th edition of the IPL with a new skipper. The franchise saw a major shift in leadership but Chennai still had MS Dhoni behind the stumps and a strong core featuring many familiar faces. Two weeks hence, the team is under pressure, having lost three successive games and slumping to the eighth position in the points table.
IPL 2022 Live Cricket Score, PBKS vs GT
Under new captain Ravindra Jadeja, the Chennai-based outfit endured their worst start to an IPL season, with the team struggling to put up strong batting performances. The defending champions will look to get off the mark when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the DY Patil Stadium, and the Super Kings have also got the backing of their staunch supporters.
England all-rounder Sam Curran has also extended support to Chennai, saying he would have loved to be with his teammates during the tumultuous phase. Curran sustained a stress fracture on his lower back during the second leg of IPL in October last year. He withdrew from the IPL 2022 due to the injury, which also kept him away from the T20 World Cup and Ashes.
"I am getting a lot of FOMO for not being there and I want to tap my CSK mates," Curran told ESPNCricinfo. "I hope CSK make it to the playoffs, but it's been a tough start. I think it will be a good question to ask after 6 games. They need to turn it around pretty quickly."
One of the most decorated teams in the history of the IPL, Chennai hold the record for most appearances in the playoffs (eleven) and the Final (nine) of the tournament. They have also won the Champions League Twenty20 on two occasions in 2010 and 2014.
Chennai have suffered their third defeat of the season, but skipper Jadeja is confident that a win could change things for the franchise. "In T20 cricket only one match is required to gain momentum and then the winning streak begins. We are searching for that one win," said Jadeja after his side's 54-run loss to Punjab Kings on Sunday.
"Once that comes, everyone is experienced in the team and knows their roles. We are just working hard to get in the rhythm and waiting for our plans to click."
While the team is missing fast bowler Deepak Chahar, who is nursing an injury, Ruturaj Gaikwad's form with the bat also remains a concern. Gaikwad, last edition's leading scorer, has struggled with his footwork and his scores of 0, 1,1 have multiplied Chennai's batting woes this year.
But Maharashtra batter, who had scored 635 runs across 16 matches in 2021, has got the backing of his skipper. "We need to give him confidence, we need to back him, we all know that he's a very good player. We'll definitely back him and I am sure that he'll come good," said Jadeja about the under-fire batter.
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