CHENNAI: When Chennaiyin Football Club opened last season with untested players, there was talk that the team’s strategy had gone all wrong and there was no chance they could better the seventh-place finish of the 2016-17 season. But the team went on to win the Indian Super League for the second time. Despite having no big names in their line-up, the Rs13.4 crore team defeated the star-studded Bengaluru FC in the final — the highest spenders of the season (Rs18.5 crore) — to introduce the ‘ Moneyball ’ concept in the championship.According to the ‘Moneyball’ theory, propounded by American baseball club Oakland Athletics in 2002, a club must find a way to acquire players who are undervalued by their rivals. Following the departure of several of their stars, the Athletics used statistics and analytics to assemble a squad that was underrated by other teams. Eventually, the team found enormous success in Major League Baseball and the theory became a hit. The theory got more eyeballs following the release of the 2011 Brad Pitt starrer of the same name, which brought to life the crisis of the real characters — general manager Billy Beane and his assistant Peter Brand — when dealing with the franchise’s limited budget.After spending big money in the first few seasons, Chennaiyin employed similar principles by building a roster of players who are either eager to prove their mettle or not rated highly by rivals. They studied the players’ ability using data analysis and evaluated how each of them would fit into their playing style. They bought players like defender Henrique Sereno ($150,000), midfielder Francisco Fernandes (Rs20 lakh), defender Mailson Alves ($100,000), Germanpreet Singh (Rs12 lakh) who went under the radar of other teams. Even their top Indian buy Jeje Lalpekhlua at Rs1.3 crore and foreign purchase Raphael Augusto of Brazil at $230,000 were pocket-friendly compared to the league’s most expensive Indian and foreign stars in Bengaluru’s Sunil Chhetri (Rs1.5 crore) and Miku ($499,930) respectively.It takes a lot of analysis and little luck for the formula to work, says the brain behind this approach and Chennaiyin’s chief technical officer Amoy Ghoshal. "While selecting footballers, we look at the desire of the players and how competitive they can be. The most important factor, is that each player must have the same hunger to win. Last season, we had plenty of players like that. So the credit goes to them," said Ghoshal.Chennaiyin coach John Gregory says having no stars in the squad helped his side perform as a team. "In our away match against Jamshedpur FC , all our players were fit. But we had to leave a few players behind because we could only take a squad of 18. Our captain Sereno said he wants to win the game for the players who didn’t make the squad. That is the kind of atmosphere we created where the boys enjoyed each other’s success," Gregory told TOI.Another aspect of Chennaiyin’s shrewd planning was to bring in a number of talented, but largely unnoticed players before the 2017-18 season. While this meant the team’s salary bill was significantly lower than their rivals, it also helped secure the long-term future of potentially gifted teenagers like Jerry Lalrinzuala and Anirudh Thapa who have become mainstays for the club and country. "It was a risk they took as there were doubts over how fit Francisco (ankle injury) and Dhanpal (knee) would be, and young talents like Jerry, Thapa and Germanpreet Singh would fare. But Chennaiyin backed them and these players paid dividends," said a source.Apart from the meticulous hiring policy, Chennaiyin invested wisely in sports science and secured the services of sports scientist Niall Clark who was part of Premier League-winning Manchester City. As a result, players avoided injuries and remained fit throughout the season. The team was set and they didn’t have to spend a penny in the January transfer window. Finally, Chennaiyin finished the season as the third lowest spender.With all their moves paying off, Chennaiyin’s approach has become a hit. So much so that most of the teams are now adapting their roadmap for the forthcoming season, emphasising on players who fit their strategy than top-draw names.Banking on the same process and system in a bid to retain the title, Chennaiyin FC have retained most of their players in the upcoming season that begins on September 29. The percentage increase in their budget this time is because they had to hike players’ salaries. They might not be the one of the lowest-spending clubs anymore but they are surely going to be among the more economical ones.While Chennaiyin looks all set to become the first ISL team to retain the title, the club have their sights on the future. "The owners have been more keen to understand how we can do better not just as a team on the field but overall. The idea is to remain a benchmark not just as a two-time ISL champion but in other aspects like providing opportunities for youngsters and implementing best practices like sports science," said Ghoshal.