In what has come as a major dent to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), opener Devon Conway has reportedly withdrawn from the IPL 2024.
While Conway is expected to recover from his finger injury by the time of the IPL, the reason for his reported withdrawal is believed to be that the New Zealand Cricket board wants him fit and fresh for the T20 World Cup in June, which will start about a week after the IPL 2024 concludes.
Devon Conway suffered a finger injury during the recent T20I series against Australia, and is likely to miss the first Test against Pat Cummins’ side this week.
The left-hander was a crucial cog in CSK’s title-winning campaign last season. He scored 672 runs and was the Player of the Match in the final against Gujarat Titans. CSK have some big shoes to fill for Conway this season if he indeed has pulled out.
3 opening options in CSK’s squad to reaplace Devon Conway:
Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has plenty of experience of batting in the top three. The left-handed batter regularly bats in the top-order in T20 franchise leagues, and has often opened in the T20 Blast for his county. Moeen has opened 61 times in T20 cricket and has a strike rate of 146 while opening. The left-handed Moeen Ali seems an excellent choice for CSK to pair with the right-handed Gaikwad at the top.
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was wonderful last season for CSK at numbers 3 and 4. MS Dhoni unlocked a new beast in Rahane at this stage of his career as the senior batsman scored 326 runs at a strike rate of 172. Rahane could b the one CSK turn toward to replace Conway as an opener.
Rahane has vast experience of opening in IPL and T20 cricket. Rahane has opened in 177 T20 matches, 120 of which were in the IPL.
Deepak Chahar
Don’t be surprised if MS Dhoni decides to use Deepak Chahar as a pinch-hitter opener, like Gautam Gambhir did with Sunil Narine at KKR. Chahar’s batting abilities at CSK often go under-utilized, and he can slog the ball well. As an opener, Chahar would be able to clear the in-field against both pacers and spinners, and get CSK going at a quick rate allowing Gaikwad to take his time to settle down.
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