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IPL 2019: One bowler from each team who can be used as a pinch hitter

Sunil Narine proved to be gold with the bat
Sunil Narine proved to be gold with the bat

Over the past 11 years, we have seen a lot happening in the Indian Premier League. We have seen batters scoring centuries, bowlers picking hat-tricks, all-rounders having a great day with both bat and ball. And then we saw something special happening in the year 2017. For a change, Kolkata Knight Riders asked Sunil Narine to open the innings with the bat and rest they say is history. Narine has become one of the finest all-rounders in IPL and a dependable player for KKR.

IPL 2019 is already upon us and we have witnessed some pleasant surprises in the games played so far. While Nitish Rana was expected to be an integral part of KKR’s batting line up, no one expected him to open the innings with Lynn in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jonny Bairstow opened the innings for SRH alongside Warner in the same game.

But these were less surprising compared to what the choice of Narine as an opener inflicted on us. Since there can be days when batters have a tough day facing the risk of major collapse, team management might decide to send a bowler into bat at the top hoping to keep the key wickets intact.

So, we have decided to come up with the list of bowlers from each team who could be utilized as pinch hitters at the top when the management sense an opportunity to do so.

#1 Chennai Super Kings: Deepak Chahar

Chahar could be an interesting option to open
Chahar could be an interesting option to open

Deepak Chahar has been the first choice bowler for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to open the innings with the ball. He more often than not completes his quota of 4 overs in a single spell at the top. What makes him a favourite to bat at the top is his hard hitting ability.

In the 56th match of IPL 2018, when CSK was chasing a total of 154 against Kings XI Punjab, not many expected a middle-order collapse that transpired. It was even more shocking to see Deepak Chahar come in to bat at no.6 ahead of MS Dhoni himself.

What followed was a brilliant display of hard-hitting ability from the pacer who ended up scoring 39 runs off just 20 balls that comprised of 3 huge sixes. If CSK looks for a makeshift opener or a pinch hitter to tackle tough conditions, they need not look further than Chahar to fill in the slot.

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