Some of the youngsters have made a mark in their few chances this season.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey has applauded their newly recruited youngsters for stepping up in pressure situations and bringing back the enthusiasm into their squad. Last night’s two-wicket victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was only their third one in 12 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
“They are highly motivated to do well. They have created energy around the group, because when you are in this position, sometimes the energy of the players can just go downhill very quickly. But this injection of some youth has really invigorated everyone,” Hussey said to ESPN Cricinfo.
He revealed how their rough patch in the ongoing IPL 2025 insisted on trying new talents. The Australian coach and team wanted to see which players could endure the high pressure of this cash-rich league and perform well to build a strong future for CSK.
“When it got to a stage where we were going to struggle to make the playoffs, there was an opportunity to maybe look at what our future looks like. Yes, obviously, we have got those players that were picked in the auction, but this was an opportunity to do some scouting, to have a look at some younger talent that was coming through, to inject them into the games and get to see them in pressure situations and see if they can handle the pressure of IPL,” he elaborated.
However, the 49-year-old agreed that CSK lacked intent in the powerplay this season and mentioned their efforts to make it better in the next edition. He also admitted that the transition phases are always tough to go through for a franchise.
“I agree, it has been an area that we were below par on, particularly in the early stages of the season. The injection of youth, they bring that, I guess, youthful exuberance, that freedom, that lack of fear. So yeah, it is an area that we are putting a fair bit of time into, is that sort of talent identification. Hopefully, it pays dividends in the future years to come. Transitions are always difficult to manage, especially in a competition like IPL,” added Hussey.
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In a season where many seasoned players flopped, including all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, some of the young talents used the most of their chances to register some impactful performances. Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad has been brilliant since the beginning of the tournament. He has scalped 20 wickets in 12 matches so far at an economy rate of 8.02.
Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre, who replaced CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad after his elbow injury, has also notched up 163 runs in five games at a strike rate of 181.11. His initial heroics also include a 48-ball-94 knock against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Another replacement, Dewald Brevis, has put up 126 runs in just four matches of this season so far.
Despite their win over KKR, the five-time IPL champions CSK continue to be placed at the bottom of the IPL 2025 points table. They will next go head-to-head with the Rajasthan Royals in Chepauk on May 12.
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