The Cricketer's quickfire look at CSK ahead of the 2022 season
Captain: Ravindra Jadeja. After so many years, time for a change. India allrounder Jadeja replaces the inimitable MS Dhoni, who will still have plenty of influence on CSK.
Coach: Stephen Fleming remains at the helm.
How did they do last year: Chennai Super Kings are the defending IPL champions, having beaten Kolkata Knight Riders in last year's final.
Overseas headliner?
Moeen Ali will arrive to the IPL a little late, having struggled to gain the necessary visa clearance to enter India in time. Once he is in the CSK camp, though, Moeen offers a triumverate of skills.
A destructive batsman, particularly potent against spin through the middle overs, the England allrounder also offers an off-spin option which could be used in the powerplay. And then he brings leadership. A thoughtful character, who has experienced just about everything modern cricket is likely to throw at a player, Moeen will be an excellent brain to tap for Jadeja.
Ravindra Jadeja leads Chennai Super Kings
Indian superstar?
Jadeja and Dhoni, who keeps the gloves despite giving up the captaincy, are the super A-listers.
Among the tier two stars are Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar - who is set to miss out on much of the season through injury, and Robin Uthappa.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has already shown he can be a handful at the top of the order, too.
Biggest strength?
The batting. There is a lot of power, invention and a mix of skills in the top seven which will allow the batting unit to be flexible.
Devon Conway and Moeen combining through the middle overs is an exciting prospect, if CSK management can find a space for both players.
Where's the weakness?
The absence of Chahar will cause some selection headaches, and perhaps force CSK to use an overseas player in a role they would otherwise have preferred to go to a top-order batter.
The death bowling, too, does not look exceptional. There are players - Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan - who have in the past done the job very well indeed by recent figures suggest that their force is waning. CSK may need big totals from their big batsmen.
Squad: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma
Likely starting XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Adam Milne, Deepak Chahar
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.