Chennai Super Kings' lucky IPL record of making the end of the season games each season reached an official conclusion on Sunday after Rajasthan Royals' triumph over Mumbai Indians snuffed out any numerical chance that existed. The men dressed in yellow have been obviously crude this season and are gazing at the disgrace of completing at the lower part of the table.

While various senior players have neglected to convey, captain MS Dhoni has himself been less than impressed with the bat. In 12 matches this season, he has scored 199 runs at a striking pace of simply 118.45. Despite the fact that the 2021 IPL season is only a half-year away, the way that Dhoni is 39 and over the hill implies that there is vulnerability encompassing his future too. The previous Indian chief, obviously, holds his assets away from plain view, however, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan demanded that Dhoni will lead the group in 2021 as well.

"Yes, definitely. I am very confident that Dhoni will lead CSK in 2021. He has won three titles for us in the IPL. This is the first year we have not qualified for the playoffs. No other team has done that. One bad year does not mean we will have to change everything," Viswanathan told a news media organization on Monday.

"We didn't play to our potential this season. We lost games that we should have won. That pushed us back. The withdrawals of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh coupled with Covid cases in the camp meant that the balance of the side was upset," he added.

Like the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, the next two games provide an opportunity for CSK to try out more young players and ascertain whether they can be part of the set-up going forward.

While Dhoni may keep on driving the side in 2021, it is basic that the group has an altogether different look next season. As mentor Stephen Fleming said as of late, the current group has "run out of juice". Whether or not a new super sale is held in front of next season, any semblance of Raina, Harbhajan, Kedar Jadhav, and Piyush Chawla among others are no longer at their best and should be offloaded if the three-time IPL champions are to recapture their place at the top.

On Sunday, of course, Ruturaj Gaikwad made a good impression with an unbeaten 65 off 51 balls to guide CSK to a comfortable eight-wicket victory. Gaikwad has had a tough time in the UAE with Covid-19 prior to the start of the tournament forcing him into an extended quarantine and then scores of 0, 5, and 0 in the three matches before Sunday. The 23-year-old could so easily have been discarded for good, but his innings on Sunday will ensure that he gets a few more opportunities.

Looking ahead, Ruturaj's innings hopefully reiterates to the CSK management the importance of staying patient and showing faith in the younger uncapped players. A few days ago, Dhoni had suggested that the youngsters had "not shown the spark needed", but perhaps the best way to judge that is by testing them in the heat of the action. By doing so, they might just unearth a couple of young talents that can be part of a revamped, fresher set-up in 2021.