Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have enjoyed enormous success at the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years, reaching the IPL finals more often than any other team and winning 3 IPL Championships, second only to the Mumbai Indians.
CSK’s success and the franchise’s great marketing strategy have created a massive fan following of 5.7 million users on Instagram and 6 million followers on Twitter. The man behind CSK’s fantastic run throughout the IPL has been MS Dhoni. Dhoni and CSK have received massive support from CSK fans over the years but in 2020, a number of fans have turned on the men in yellow due to their poor showing at the IPL.
CSK Suffers Back to Back Losses
CSK now sit in 6th place on the IPL points table having loss 5 out of 7 games so far. CSK have now lost back to back games against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). They still have a chance to make the IPL playoffs but another loss would make it very difficult for CSK to qualify.
CSK have not looked like match winners as they have failed miserably in the batting department, have done reasonably well in the bowling department and have looked shoddy in the field. MS Dhoni who once held the reputation of being the best finisher in the business has looked a shadow of himself which shows from the fact that CSK have chased in all 7 of their games but have only managed to win 2.
CSK Fans Turn On Them
Indian cricket fans are very emotional fans and CSK fans are no different. They have been unhappy with the performance of their team and have taken to social media to show their frustrations. CSK fans have posted hundreds of sarcastic and witty memes and thousands of posts telling CSK management what changes need to be made to the squad.
The frustration continued to grow after each loss and was clearly evident when an online petition was started to get Kedar Jadhav to be dropped from the CSK side. The petition got a lot of buzz going on social media and some of the fans have left comments claiming that MS Dhoni should also be added to that petition.
Rape Threat Against Dhoni’s Daughter
However, things went to a whole new level when a rape threat was made against Ziva – MS Dhoni’s 5 year old daughter. The rape threat was condemned by a number of players and celebrities in India who stood up for MS Dhoni.
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan who has criticized MS Dhoni in the past said that no matter how badly a player performs, it does not given anyone the right to threaten a child. Former actress and now politician Nagma tweeted the Prime Minister of India and made him aware of the rape threat to Dhoni’s daughter and ended by saying ‘what is happening in our country’?
Member of Parliament Priyanka Chaturvedi said the rape threat was the most disgusting example of how social media is being abused. So far there has been no reports of any arrests being made for the rape threats to a minor.
CSK Struggling With ‘Experienced’ Players
CSK might be done for the 2020 IPL season as their players look both fatigued and mentally stressed. The squad has far too many ‘experienced’ players – which is another word of saying players who are past their prime. Shane Watson, M Vijay, MS Dhoni have been great servants of CSK and this should probably be their last IPL for the franchise. Suresh Raina and H Singh are not playing for CSK this year but it might be time to let them go as well.
CSK fans need to be patient and encourage their team of winners so that they can finish IPL 2020 with the respect they deserve.
