Chennai Super Kings camp | Focus on camaraderie, knowledge-sharing

Balaji says six-day camp for IPL 2020 has helped players ‘re-educate their senses’

Meeting of minds: Balaji and Dhoni exchanged notes when the camp was held in March.

Chennai Super Kings has yet again been the first team off the blocks to start its preparations for the Indian Premier League, with a six-day camp that began here on Saturday.

The camp’s objective, according to former India pacer and CSK bowling coach L. Balaji, is to get the team in a functional mental space and help the players find their routines before they land in the United Arab Emirates.

“The most crucial thing in cricket or any team sport is the camaraderie. When you train as a team, the interaction and knowledge-sharing becomes vital, with teammates helping each other. That is the main focus of this camp. It also gives a chance for the players to touch base with the game and re-educate their senses,” said Balaji.

The team had a productive camp for close to three weeks in early March before the pandemic intervened and the CSK management wanted to pick up where it left off.

Consistent

The three-time champion side has made the playoffs in every edition it has competed in, and a key reason behind its success has been its ability to maximise its home conditions. Its team composition, too, often reflects that, with the focus on deploying good spinners.

However, Balaji feels the team is ready for the challenge of playing in less familiar conditions, having done it in 2018, and that teams will just have to adapt.

“Even in 2018, we had to move our home matches to Pune, and we won five out of six games there. It is a challenge, but it only makes us more hungry, and we want to prepare even better. You have to accept it as an opportunity to update yourself, and that will be our inspiration for this season.”