As Chennai Super Kings prepare to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, what are the chances of MS Dhoni's side reaching the IPL 2022 playoffs?
Chennai Super Kings on Saturday dropped another big bombshell as they announced that MS Dhoni would be taking over the captaincy of the franchise once again, as Ravindra Jadeja relinquished the same.
Jadeja was handed over the captaincy of CSK, just two days before the franchise's inaugural match of the IPL 2022 season, against Kolkata Knight Riders. The all-rounder later announced that Dhoni had informed him two months ahead of the IPL that he would be stepping aside as captain.
If that was indeed the case, then Chennai Super Kings should've announced the same maybe a little earlier, because their form this season has been worrying to say, the least.
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Under Ravindra Jadeja's captaincy, CSK have lost six of their eight games so far, with just four points on the board, the four-time IPL champs currently occupy ninth place in the league standings.
With Jadeja struggling to perform ever since being handed the captaincy, Dhoni agreed to take over the top job again, so that the all-rounder can play with freedom once again. But the big question still remains, can CSK qualify for the playoffs.
Can CSK qualify for IPL 2022 if they lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad?
Including their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings have six more matches remaining, before the end of the season. Even if CSK lose their game against SRH, then also they can reach the magical figure of 14 points, but there's a catch.
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First off, MS Dhoni will have his task cut out, to get the best out of an underperforming team, and take them on a winning spree of six matches. If CSK win all of their remaining games, they can reach a total of 16 points, which should be enough to see them through to the playoffs.
However, if CSK lose against SRH, and win all of their remaining games, then they will be able to reach a total of 14 points, which would then mean that they will have to rely on the results of other teams as well, and CSK's net run rate should also be highest among other teams fighting for the fourth and last playoff spot.
Therefore, in such a case, CSK's fate will not be in their own hands, so for a smooth passage into the playoffs of IPL 2022 season, Chennai needs to win against Sunrisers first, and also win all of their remaining five games.
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 "Can CSK still qualify for IPL 2022 playoffs")
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