IPL 2020: 3 ways CSK could line up next season
With the conclusion of the IPL auction on 19 December, the eight teams involved in the world's grandest T20 tournament have all finalized their squads for the upcoming campaign.
While the consensus is that Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders possess the strongest squads in the competition at the moment, one can never discount three-time champions Chennai Super Kings. On paper the squad may look ageing and out of form, but a few savvy buys at the auction, coupled with their existing stars, could see CSK be a force to reckon with once again.
So without further ado, let us have a look at a few ways - some predictable and some completely out of left field - in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side could line up:
1. Batting deep
Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi
The first potential line-up we have in mind for the men from down south is the one they are most likely to use. This has a fairly settled look about it, with only one of their auction picks, leggie Piyush Chawla, coming into the side.
The openers, Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, have batted together often for CSK. They are followed by seasoned campaigners in Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu, while Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav below them are capable of both building an innings and finishing things off if need be.
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The all-rounders, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja, are both explosive hitters, and Chawla and Deepak Chahar can put a few runs on the board.
All in all, this team gives CSK decent batting till number 10, as well as a genuine fast bowler in Lungi Ngidi, a new ball bowler in Chahar and a death bowler in Bravo. There are also three different spinning options, with the leg-spin of Chawla and the left-arm off-spin of Jadeja supported by the traditional off-spin of Jadhav, who can roll his arm over if needed.