IPL 2020: The Chennai Superkings left Kolkata with big smiles as they efficiently covered all departments by bringing Piyush Chawla, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, and Sai Kishore to M.A. Chidambaram, Chennai. The CSK think tank entered the auctions with Rs 14.6 crore and successfully covered all their first choices for a quality leg spinner (Piyush Chawla), an all-rounder (Sam Curran) and a local bowler (Sai Kishore). However, the CSK management had to settle with Josh Hazlewood when Mumbai Indians won the bid for their first choice Nathan Coulter Nile.
CSK Squad: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Deepak Chahar, MS Dhoni (C & wk), Dwayne, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Sai Kishore, Monu Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif, N Jagadeesan, M Vijay, Rituraj Gaikwad.
Considering their strong run since 2018 (comeback after the two-year ban), CSK managed to retain its effective core and the new lot of players will surely add more resilience in the 3-time champion franchise. It’ll be interesting to watch the yellow brigade back on the ground with a much better team.
The best XI for CSK in IPL 2020 could be:
1) Openers – Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu
This combination is a tried and tested one. Shane Watson has been in terrific form in the past two seasons and will look to sketch a fine season this year. The Australian is not only an ideal opener for CSK but also can bowl sometimes. He scored 555 runs in 2019 and finished 2019 with 398 runs.
On the other hand, Ambati Rayudu was introduced to the opening slot by MS Dhoni in 2018 and since then he has been the mainstay for CSK. The former Mumbai Indians batsman has slammed 884 runs in two seasons for Chennai Super Kings.
2) Middle-order- Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, and Kedar Jadhav
Suresh Raina is also known as Mr.IPL, after having scored more than 4000 runs in the league he deserves a place in any side he plays for. The UP batsman scored 445 runs in 2018 and 383 in 2019. No one’s as consistent as Suresh Raina at this position.
MS Dhoni is ‘Thala’ (brother) for all the CSK. He doesn’t only display brilliance with the bat and gloves but also knows how to lead the side, better than anyone else.
Kedar Jadhav’s name on the list might surprise a few pundits. The Pune all-rounder has been struggling to maintain his place in the white-ball format(for India) but CSK retaining him is a message altogether. Kedar Jadhav not only bats but can be dangerous with the ball on a slow Chennai wicket.
3) All-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran
Jadeja has proved his mettle in this format. The left-handed batsman has been a magical touch with the bat since the world cup semi-finals. He has been useful with his consistent bowling and also is considered as the best fielder of this unit.
Sam Curran- the new addition to the team was Kings XI Punjab’s mainstay with the ball. He also has a hattrick to his name. The Englishman can bat at the tail which gives depth to the lineup.
4) Bowlers – Dwayne Bravo, Piyush Chawla/ Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Lundi Ngidi/ Imran Tahir
This bowling attack is lead by one of the best t20 bowlers the world has ever seen- Dwayne Bravo. It is not just Bravo’s variations that get wickets but his acrobatics on the field are unusual. The West Indies player has some significant contributions with the bat too.
Piyush and Harbhajan need to have a reality check and whoever aces it, stays. Both of them have been more than special for their teams. Shardul Thakur has been a consistent t20 performer since long and the team can use Lundi Ngidi on fast tracks whereas calling Imran Tahir to bowl on slow ones.
