Surrounded with various temples and historical monuments, the ancient city of Chennai is a perfect melting pot of tradition and modernity. Chepauk Stadium is one spot where you find the people’s massive enthusiasm about the game of cricket irrespective of old and youths alike. Thanks to IPL 8 and Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) magnificent performance on the field that visitors would not mind coming to the stadium to witness their home team win.

Chennai Super Kings: The real kings of IPL cricket

The immaculate captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the biggest asset for the team. He sets the field and knows how to accelerate the pace of the inning. It is Dhoni who decides to put the best 11 in his squad. In one word, CSK are the real kings of IPL cricket. You can’t take CSK lightly under any circumstances. Take yesterday’s match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for instance; after the dismissal of AB de Villiers they put too much pressure on Virat Kohli and picked his wicket too.

The history repeats itself and CSK never fail to woo its fans. Bad patches in the last three years might have led to the failure of this team to clinch the trophy in the end, but the team has evolved more solid and brilliant now. They are definitely the strongest contender to win IPL 8. They have already won 4 out of the 5 matches that they played so far. CSK is currently positioned at number 2 in the points chart just after Rajasthan Royals.

The Gallant Guys: Great Effort

Dhoni picks his playing 11 very cautiously. It includes a few reputed world class players who have the capacity to pin down any team on any ground. They reserve their best for big matches. The Chennai team never succumbs to pressure and outshines other sides of the tournament stunningly at the end.

When it comes to fielding, CSK lead by example. They could stop the ball with one hand or leg; take a catch just a few centimetres away from the boundary rope and can run-out any batsman with a direct throw. They are a complete team with fabulous combination.

• The Opening Pair: The first two batsmen on top of the batting order are Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum. They could demolish any bowlers at any time of the day. Their amazing first wicket partnership in a match against Mumbai Indians a few days back is still afresh in the minds of cricket fans. The duo played valiantly and laid the foundation for the team’s victory from the very start of the match.

• Strong Middle Order: With the likes of Raina, du Pleisis, Bravo and Dhoni the team has a solid middle order to thwart any challenge that could come their way at the fall of initial one or two wickets. No target is too big for them.

• Bowlers: Last but not the least the team has a genuine specialist bowlers like Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma and Ashwin who could make even a small total seem massive. They know how to ball under pressure and trouble the opponents.

Every time these guys with yellow jersey come to play on the field you can feel a sense of confidence and belief in their body language. The team has been the winner of IPL tournament twice in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Tags: Chennai, Chennai Super Kings, Chepauk Stadium, Cricket, CSK, Indian Premier League, IPL, IPL 2015, IPL 8, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, MS Dhoni, RCB, Royal Challengers Bangalore