Chennai can do again win the CLT20

New Delhi: Four months ago, Mahendra Singh Dhoni could do no wrong. Having ended India's 28-year-long wait for a World Cup victory, the Indian skipper donned the yellow jersey soon after to take Chennai Super Kings to their second successive Indian Premier League crown.

The captain's Midas touch seems to be waning though. Dhoni will now return to the helm of the Chennai side on the back of a dreadful tour of England, where India were convincingly outplayed in every format of the game.
Although the Champions League T20, starting on September 23 following a round of qualifiers, is a completely different ball game, the effects of India's disastrous campaign will undoubtedly be felt by the under-fire skipper.
 Last year, they became the first Indian side to win the nascent Champions League tournament, before successfully defending their IPL title in April.
The IPL franchisee also did well to maintain continuity by keeping their core players at the auction earlier this year. They retained Dhoni, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina and Murali Vijay ahead of the bidding, and then repurchased the likes of Michael Hussey, Ravichandran Ashwin and Doug Bollinger. That ensured stability and allowed new signings Tim Southee, Dwayne Bravo, Suraj Randiv and Wriddhiman Saha to settle in at their own pace.
Indeed, it is hard to find a weak link in the Chennai side. The only worry for coach Stephen Fleming will be the fatigue some of his stars will face, thanks to a grueling schedule. Whether Chennai can defend their title will also depend a lot on Dhoni's state of mind, since his influential leadership has played a fundamental role in the team's success.
Squad: Ravichandran Ashwin, Subramaniam Badrinath, Doug Bollinger, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Michael Hussey, Shadab Jakati, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Suraj Randiv, Wriddhiman Saha, Srikkanth Anirudha, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Murali Vijay