CHENNAI: Former Tamil Nadu captain and former bowling coach of Chennai Super Kings L Balaji is upbeat about IPL 2025 and believes that annual summer T20 bonanza will be an exciting one. He believes that Chennai Super Kings is the team to beat as he finds the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side's balance impeccable. "The CSK team's combination is great. See, they have got all the areas covered. Top order with Rachin Ravindra who was in excellent form in the ICC tournament. I think it's one of the strongest CSK teams. Fast bowling in one area where M Pathirana will be paired with another fast bowler who will be a youngster. Anshul Kamboj who's got wickets, Gurjapneet Singh and Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran are the options," Balaji told this daily on the sidelines of a promotional event. "Their spin department is also exceptional. Very good with the likes of R Jadeja and R Ashwin."
Ashwin who retired recently will be eager to prove a point that he still has it in him to excel at the highest level. "Ashwin is a class bowler. I mean, no matter what, I feel he will do well. Because knowing Chennai conditions and after a long time he is coming back to Chennai, he will be eager to deliver. He has always done well at Chepauk and he has always done well under pressure. Irrespective of condition, he is always a guy who looks to improve. And yes, Ashwin definitely will pitch in, with what nowadays you see Ashwin as a floater also in batting. So that is an added advantage," complimented Balaji.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals have a new coach in Hemang Badani who was a very good thinking cricketer in his playing days. Badani has done well as a coach in the shortest format. "Badani is a good strategist. I think Badani also will do well as a matter of challenge. I wish Badani great success because he has come through the ranks. He has done a lot of hard work over the period of time in coaching. And understanding the nuances of coaching. So I feel Hemang will do well. And the way he has handled the last 3-4 years of his coaching career is phenomenal. And that reflects on a lot of trophies he has been winning also," Balaji said. "So his contribution and his experience and his value is something which definitely will help Delhi to go for the trophy (IPL) which has eluded them over the years. So probably they will look to do well this season and get closer to the trophy."
Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, have always been consistent performers in the IPL over the years. With Chandrakant Pandit as a coach none can take the team lightly. "They are defending champions. No doubt about it (none can be taken lightly). The reason why they are champions is because they played as a team. They did exceedingly well last season, under pressure. Especially the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, as an all-rounder, delivered. And you have Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh. So these are all the names that come across one's mind where they are the core players of the side. And Harshit Rana is there. He has also made a mark in international cricket recently. I think defending a title is a tougher task. Only two teams have done it in the past. CSK and Mumbai Indians. And definitely, they have to work on the core team again. They have to form a proper, I mean, batting order first. You need a batting order to fire for them. Their spin attack is always going to be handy. So it is a process, defending is not just easy," he added.