3 reasons why CSK must bat Deepak Chahar up the order in IPL 2024
The India-England Test series might be dominating the cricketing world right now, but the Indian Premier League (IPL) is never far behind. Plenty of fans and players are already looking forward to the marquee T20 competition, which is never short of making the headlines.
Recently, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Deepak Chahar opened up on his aspirations for the 2024 edition of the IPL. He stated that he is religiously working on improving both facets of his game and opened up about playing under skipper MS Dhoni.
"When I played in 2018, I was nearly bowling around 140ks. When you're playing regularly you don't get the chance to do strength training and your pace comes down. This is the right time for me to increase my pace. Skill-wise, I've obviously been doing well with batting and bowling," Chahar said.
"So I'm trying to develop a few shots with the bat too, because when you bat at No. 8 or No. 9, you only get to play three-four balls. So you have to utilize those balls with different shots," he added.
While Chahar may have alluded to batting the lower order during IPL 2024 as well, there is a case to be made that CSK can make better use of his abilities with the willow. Following their acquisitions at the auction, the Men in Yellow have experienced some changes to their ideal combination.
Here are three reasons why Deepak Chahar must bat up the order for CSK in IPL 2024.
#3 Put simply, Deepak Chahar's contract demands it
Re-signed at the IPL 2022 auction for ₹14 crore, Deepak Chahar hasn't been able to justify commanding such a mammoth price tag. He has been hampered by injuries and lack of form at times, but even ignoring that, he hasn't done enough.
Chahar's price tag is down to the fact that he can bat a bit since he doesn't offer much value outside the powerplay with the ball in hand. Teams have always been on the lookout for bowling all-rounders who can tonk a few, and the 31-year-old fits the bill.
However, Chahar has faced only three balls over the last three IPL seasons. 2019 was the only time he faced more than 15 balls (29), and he had a strike rate of 172.41 in that campaign.
Contracts don't always need to mirror on-field roles and performances perfectly, but CSK will want to get the most out of a player who has eaten a significant chunk of their purse over the last few years. Chahar, on his part, will also want to have a more prominent role with the bat.
#2 Deepak Chahar has the requisite batting ability
It hasn't made too many appearances at the IPL level, but Deepak Chahar's batting ability is severely underrated.
The fast-bowling all-rounder has two ODI half-centuries to his name, both of which were scored under testing circumstances. In T20Is, he has an average of 26.5 and a strike rate of 189.28. Chahar has also cleared the boundary 92 times in his career so far across formats.
Primarily a spin hitter, Chahar has proven himself to be capable of countering pace as well. Irrespective of what his contract may say, he can only be promoted if he is good enough. And from what we've seen so far, it's certainly worth a shot.
#1 CSK will need pinch-hitting during IPL 2024
Following their signings at the IPL 2024 auction and the retirement of Ambati Rayudu, CSK may need regular pinch-hitting services from their bowling all-rounders.
MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja are slated to bat at No. 6 and No. 7 in their current XI. Even with the impact player rule, that might be too high for both batters, whose skillsets are now limited to smashing pace at the death.
Chennai should ideally use either Chahar or Shardul Thakur as an enforcer in the middle overs, thereby allowing Dhoni and Jadeja to do what they do best. The likes of Sameer Rizvi and Shaik Rasheed might need some more experience before becoming IPL regulars, and the franchise could fall back on their more trusted names to do the job.
If he scores some quick runs in the middle overs, Chahar will become a genuine match-winner with that bat for CSK, who arguably need him to perform that role given their current combination.