Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Faf du Plessis feels a good bench strength and a more balanced squad are two key reasons which have resulted in the MS Dhoni-led side securing thumping wins in the first half of this edition of the Indian Premier League. The Chennai-based franchise had a dismal outing in the 13th edition of IPL. The side finished at the seventh position on the points table. CSK batsman Suresh Raina had missed the 13th edition after pulling out of the tournament due to personal reasons which only spurred their problems.
However, CSK has won five consecutive games after facing a defeat in their opening match in IPL 14. Du Plessis said CSK made some adjustments in the squad to increase the depth in the batting. "We got a good balance. We made some adjustments from last season. Our batting depth is good. We've got guys like Robin Uthappa sitting on the bench, so it's a good balance. The biggest change we've got is a bit more balance in the squad and the guys are putting their hand up as well," Du Plessis told host broadcasters Star Sports after CSK's win over SRH on Wednesday.
A late onslaught from Kane Williamson (26*) and fifties from Manish Pandey (61) and David Warner guided SRH to 171/3 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Ruturaj Gaikwad's blistering 75-run knock and a fifty from du Plessis (56) helped CSK to chase the target with nine balls remaining. Du Plessis is now the leading run-scorer in the ongoing tournament. The opening batsman is five runs clear on top of Shikhar Dhawan, who has scored 265 runs in IPL 2021.
The South African batsman revealed that he did minor changes in technique which has resulted in him scoring runs quite easily for CSK. "Feels good (to wear the orange cap) but winning games is nice. I think the partnership with Rutu has been pretty productive. If you can start well in T20s, and with our batting lineup, it's a very good sign," said Du Plessis.
"I went back to try and make sure my basics were good. I looked at what was the thing I did well last year and have been doing the same this year. One or two tweaks were made from last season to this season," he added.
Du Plessis took a blinder to dismiss Manish Pandey against the run of play in the 18th over. He flew like a bird to hold on to the catch, saving six runs for CSK. "I am disappointed, haven't been getting many catches. Jaddu has been stealing the show, he's the superman at the moment, but happy to grab one tonight," said Du Plessis.
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