CSK plan to start academy, launches school-level meet
By Ashok Venugopal | Express News Service | Published: 23rd December 2017 01:28 AM |
Last Updated: 23rd December 2017 09:08 AM | A+A A- |
From (L) Kasi Viswanathan (India Cements), George Muthoot Jacob, George John & cricketer Abhinav Mukund during the launch of Junior Super Kings event
CHENNAI : The coming year will be a crucial one for Chennai Super Kings camp as they are gearing up to come back with a bang in the Indian Premier League. Fans in particular, are the main support for CSK where the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is treated almost like god in Chennai.Hence, CSK Cricket limited thought it’s the right time to launch the Junior Super Kings Inter-school championship, which begins on December 26. India player Abhinav Mukund and Kasi Viswanathan, sports consultant of India Cements limited and sponsor of the tournament, unveiled the trophies of the junior super kings tournament.
“Children are our strength. They love CSK. Players were moved by the warmth of the fans here. So we thought the best way to give back something to the fans is by starting a tournament at junior level. There was huge response for the tournament and we had to limit to 16 teams in Chennai. The tournament will expand to seven districts,’’ said George John, director of CSK Cricket ltd.
The franchise is also looking to start an academy next year, where the team’s support staff will be involved in first-hand training. This will also be the first of its kind initiative by any team in IPL history.
With CSK and Rajasthan Royals returning to action next year, the talk is about the three players (from the 2015 squad) that the teams can retain before the player auction. Asked who are three to be retained, George said: “Dhoni and Suresh Raina are the two players that we are looking to retain. The third one has not yet been decided.”
Asked who will the support staff and the likely team combination of CSK, he replied: “We look forward to having the same support staff. We are in talks with Stephen Fleming. We will try to get as many players who had played for us in the past. Keeping in mind the format, multi-utility players will be our top priority,’’ said George John.
Arun Pandey, managing director of Rhiti group, who was here as sponsor for the tournament said it’s an emotional comeback for Dhoni. “Dhoni coming back is like a child coming back to his mother. CSK is close to his heart. Dhoni has always felt that Chennai is like his home. If you talk about his career, this is the place where he made his Test debut. He feels he belongs to this city,” said Arun.
ashok.v@newindianexpress.com
