IPL 2020: Chennai Super Kings’ strongest possible XI
Chennai Super Kings have not only lifted the trophy thrice, but they are also the only team in the history of the tournament who have qualified for the playoffs in every edition of the IPL they have played.
One of the reasons why CSK have been so successful over the years is their expertise in building the team. They have a core around which they pick and release players and they don’t necessarily go after the big names all the time. They always look for utility options that can fill the voids in their squad and provide them the balance that they need to compete in all conditions.
CSK went into the IPL 2020 auction with a budget of ₹14.6 crore and they aimed for an overseas all-rounder, an overseas fast bowler, and a leg spinner. While they couldn't get their first choice overseas fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, they ended up getting Sam Curran and Piyush Chawla who were their first choices in the other two departments. They later bought Josh Hazlewood as the overseas fast bowler and the local boy Sai Kishore.
CSK Squad: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Deepak Chahar, MS Dhoni (C & wk), Dwayne Bravo, Kedar Jadhav Sam Curran, 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.
After the IPL 2020 auction where CSK bought a few players including a couple of overseas ones, here is CSK’s strongest possible XI.
#1 Openers (Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu)
Shane Watson is the first choice opener for CSK and his record speaks volumes of his abilities. He has scored 953 runs in the 32 games that he has played in the last two seasons with 2 hundreds and 5 fifties. Watson might not be the most consistent player in the CSK line-up, but whenever he gets going, he wins the match for CSK on his own.
Faf du Plessis opened the batting for CSK last season as Dwayne Bravo and Lungi Ngidi were injured. However, if those two are fit, they are the automatic picks in the XI and in that case, du Plessis will have to warm the benches.
If CSK can’t accommodate du Plessis in the XI, Ambati Rayudu is the best option to pair up with Watson at the top of the order. Rayudu is the perfect foil for Watson as the former plays solid cricket and allows the big Aussie to tee off at the other end.