Chennai Super Kings’ title defence in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 began in the worst imaginable way as the four-time champions slumped to four successive defeats in their opening four matches of the season.

It is, by far, CSK’s most underwhelming start to any IPL season.

Mostly solid starters, the Men in Yellow have never lost two matches on the bounce at the start of their campaigns.

However, anyone ruling the Ravindra Jadeja-led team out for this year’s title may need to be a tad careful with their early predictions. After all, the only time CSK lost four consecutive matches in the IPL, back in the 2010 season, they ended up winning their maiden IPL title.

Back in IPL 2010, then captained by MS Dhoni, lost their first match against the Deccan Chargers but bounced right back to beat Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals in their next two matches.

The fourth outing, against the Punjab Kings, however, ended in a tie after the regulation 20 overs but CSK lost out in the Super Over. The loss began a mini-slump which saw Chennai Super Kings go down to Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in their subsequent matches.

As hopes of a revival seemed slim at best, MS Dhoni’s charges responded with four brilliant victories in their next five matches and managed to squeeze into the semi-finals after finishing third on the table.

In the knockouts, CSK did what they do best, first beating Deccan Chargers in the semi-finals before accounting for Mumbai Indians in the title decider. A magnificent turnaround and a maiden title to cap it off.

Though it’s not going to be easy, CSK has already taken their first step towards a possible resurgence this season by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore handily. Incidentally, CSK also broke their losing streak in 2010 with a similar victory over RCB.

Whether or not CSK can pull off a repeat of 2010 will only unfold in the next few weeks, but with the likes of Jadeja, Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the ranks, Chennai Super Kings do have a nice blend of experience and young talents to make a solid play at it.