IPL 2020: 3 things we learnt from CSK's interest in Tom Banton
According to a report by The Daily Mail, Chennai Super Kings has enquired with Somerset about the availability of their opening wicket-keeper batsman, Tom Banton, for the next IPL season. Therefore, it looks likely that the yellow franchise could target him at the 2020 auction.
Along with CSK, their rivals Mumbai Indians have reportedly enquired about Banton's availability for the upcoming season. Although it looks like only these two teams are interested in the youngster, others could have their eyes on him as well.
Banton is just 20 years old and is already on the radar of top IPL teams. Generally, it takes something special for a young overseas player to attract such interest from major IPL teams.
Besides having the attention of these IPL franchises, the youngster also has BBL and T10 League contracts in his bag. This article particularly tries to decipher the reason behind CSK's interest in the youngster despite their policy of selecting experience over youth.
#3 The form of their openers is bothering them
None of the CSK openers have performed consistently in the 2019 season. The overseas opening pair of Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson did not do proper justice for their roles. While they did perform well at times, their best performances were just a handful.
Watson notched up 555 runs in the 2018 season, but during the 2019 IPL, he scored just 398 runs. The Australian opener got many single-digit scores in IPL 2019, which became the main reason for CSK's struggle at the top.
The same was the case with Du Plessis, who had a handful of good performances, and many below-average ones. Ambati Rayudu, their Indian opener who top-scored in the 2018 season, was unable to replicate his form from the previous year.
Therefore, CSK's interest in Tom Banton shows that they are looking for a good opening batsman going forward. It is unclear what fate awaits Watto or Du Plessis, but a new overseas opener is definitely on the wishlist of the Super Kings.