‘CSK will be invincible again’: Ashwin sends strong message to supporters

Chennai Super Kings will compete with royal challengers Bengaluru will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Kings XI Punjab in the five-match series at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. Despite putting 209 on the board, driven by Ayush Mhatre’s flowing 73 off 43 balls, CSK failed to defend the total as Punjab chased it down with eight balls remaining. Shreyas Iyer led the way with a composed fifty while Priyanshu Arya’s early fireworks (39 off 11) set the tone for the chase. After the disastrous defeat, Ravichandran Ashwin Fans were called upon to be patient and urged not to target young players. “My request to CSK fans is, please don’t attack any player. Support each and every one of them,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “Being a fan of a team is not just about winning. The five titles won by CSK is a legacy but the youth should not bear the burden of it,” he explained. “The burden should not fall on Ayush Mhat or Urvir Patel. They have to go out and play happily. They will learn and in a few years, the team will become invincible again,” he revealed. CSK’s innings begins with Sanzhou Samson Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the innings but Samson’s struggles continued and he failed miserably once again. Mhatre then stabilized the situation with Gaikwad, hitting a 29-ball 50 and taking CSK past 100 in 10 overs before Yuzvendra Chahal replaced the captain with 28 runs. Mhatre continued to play but was eliminated by Vijaykumar Vyshak, who also moved to the top of the Purple Cap points table. However, CSK’s bigger concern remains their bowling department. In two games, they conceded 338 runs in 30.5 overs while taking only 7 wickets. Even their spinners, Noor Ahmed and Rahul Chahal, paid dearly against Punjab, conceding 84 runs in eight overs without a single challenge. The speed attack of Matt Henry, Khalil Ahmed and Anshul Kamboy also struggled to make an impact. Things don’t get any easier for CSK as they now face a confident RCB side that looks more balanced than in previous seasons. Led by number one Virat Kohli, RCB’s batting line-up seems to have stabilized, with Devdutt Padikkal rediscovering his form with a brilliant 26-ball 61 in the last game and captain Rajat Patidar effectively stabilizing the middle order. RCB’s bowling was once considered their weak link but has improved significantly now. In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy impressed with a wicket haul, using his sharp short delivery to cause trouble for the opposition batsmen. The team may also consider bringing in left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav to replace Abhinandan Singh. at the same time, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma provided control in the midfield. For CSK, a lot will depend on whether Samson can quickly regain his form. With scores of six and seven so far, the T20 World Cup winner has not provided the strong start one had hoped for. The game against RCB could be the perfect stage to turn things around, but unless their bowling unit improves significantly, CSK will face an uphill battle against an in-form Bengaluru side.