After an uncharacteristically woeful showdown in IPL 2020 that saw Chennai finishing in the seventh position, Chennai Super Kings were back to their scintillating selves in the half-completed league stage of IPL 2021. From the seven games that they played, they managed to win five of them, staying rooted in the second position of the points table, two points adrift of the league leaders, Delhi Capitals.
Now with the tournament postponed indefinitely and still no clarity of when can it be played, people are busy speculating about the possible retentions and new purchases at the Mega Auction of IPL 2022. Moeen Ali displayed intimidating form in the ongoing edition of the tournament that helped Dhoni and company to make up for the ordinary showdown from Suresh Raina.
As per the regulations of the Mega Auction, three players can be retained from the previous squad with an additional two players can be brought back with the Right to Match cards. Given a sloppy display from their skipper, MS Dhoni, Chennai will be having other plans of introducing someone new as a captain to their side with even Suresh Rana heading slowly towards twilight.
However, in this story, we will be looking at four different players who would most likely be retained at Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2022.
#1 Faf Du Plessis
If there has been one man who has spearheaded the batting force of Chennai Super kings consistently with an extraordinary display, it has been the former South African captain, Faf Du Plessis. Not only has he been a terrific striker of the ball, but his leadership ability at the top of the order and his prowess in converting the starts into big knocks is what makes him extremely special.
From 7 games in IPL 2021, he has managed to garner 320 runs at a fine average of 64 and a blistering strike rate of 145.45. He is also an excellent fielder that has seen him bagging 5 crucial catches, improving Chennai’s behavior in the outfield.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja
Needless to say, but Ravindra Jadeja is a man who is indispensable to any squad that he is a part of. A tremendous striker of the ball, an exceptionally immaculate fielder and a very handy left-arm spinner, Jadeja is touted to be one of the most phenomenal all-rounders throughout the world.
He hasn’t been extraordinary in this season with the ball in the hand as he has managed to scalp only 6 wickets from the 7 games that he has played but has managed to produce an astonishing economy rate as he has chronicled figures of 6.70. He scored 131 runs from 7 games with an incredulous batting average of 131 as he has stayed not out for five times. He comes pretty lower down the order but the amount of effort that he put in at that cramped position is nothing short of herculean.
#3 Moeen Ali
He has been the quintessential all-rounder in the ongoing edition of the tournament that any team would like to have. What an extraordinary start this English man has produced that has left Chennai’s counterparts hung, drawn and quartered. From the 6 games that he has played on the ongoing season, he has scored 206 runs at a fine average of 34.33 while his strike rate has read 157.25.
He has been used in the number three position, a very important rank in the pecking order of Chennai and yet he has very successfully imposed a dominion of willow as he has hacked away at the bowlers fearlessly. He has also bowled 12 overs in the tournament so far that has seen him conceding only 74 runs and claim 5 wickets, figures that would be enviable even for the best of the sport.
#4 Sam Curran
This was a tight call between Sam Curran and Deepak Chahar, given the latter’s wicket-taking habits that have seen him claiming 8 wickets from the 7 games he played. However, Sam Curran’s consistency and his all-around efforts in the field edged him past a one-dimensional Chahar.
Curran has played 7 games until now in the ongoing edition and has picked 9 wickets. Though he hasn’t batted much, the limited enterprises that he has had with the blade have seen him garnering 52 runs at a blistering strike rate of 208. In the last edition, he scored 186 runs from 14 games at a decent average of 23.25 and a stormy strike rate of 131.91 which is exceptional for a bowling all-rounder. He also managed to pick up 13 wickets that were the solitary shaft of hope for Chennai in an otherwise woeful season.
