IPL 2022 Auction: 3 reasons why CSK shouldn't have splurged on Deepak Chahar
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have always been loyal to their players, and this has never been more evident than in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
The Men in Yellow have reacquired the services of Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar and Robin Uthappa. Chahar, who was sold for a whopping sum of INR 14 crore, was the franchise's biggest buy in the IPL 2022 auction and also one of the biggest overall.
However, CSK might have spent a little too much on Chahar. Here are three reasons why they shouldn't have splurged as much cash on the all-rounder.
#3 Deepak Chahar's batting has only recently been on the rise
Deepak Chahar has contributed with the bat for India in ODIs and has also played the odd knock for CSK in the IPL. But his batting hasn't evolved enough for him to be called a genuine all-rounder in the T20 format, and it would be a stretch to imagine him batting any higher than No. 8.
Chahar has a T20 career average of 12.47 and a strike rate of 129.86. With only one fifty to his name in 115 matches, the 29-year-old is far from a finished product with the bat. The fact that he is a multidimensional player undoubtedly increased his price, but it might be a bit early to make a judgment on whether he can contribute with the bat regularly in the IPL.
#2 Deepak Chahar had an indifferent IPL 2021 season
CSK won the IPL 2021 title in convincing fashion, beating the Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. Deepak Chahar played all the games for the franchise in the competition but turned in only a few notable performances.
Barring four-wicket hauls against the Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings, Chahar had only one game where he scalped more than two wickets. He went wicketless in eight games and conceded more than 30 runs nine times.
When there was no movement on offer in the powerplay, Chahar seriously struggled. Captain MS Dhoni was reluctant to use him in the middle overs and the death, as a result of which the pacer often ended up with unimpressive figures.
Had Chahar been one of CSK's best performers in IPL 2021, splashing the cash on him might've been justified. But after a season in which he picked up only 14 wickets and scored only one run, it seems a touch over the top.
#1 Deepak Chahar's post-powerplay bowling is yet to be proven
As mentioned earlier, Dhoni wasn't keen on using Chahar outside the powerplay. And not without reason.
Chahar's pace hasn't often crossed the early 130s, and he doesn't have an entirely reliable yorker. He often resorts to cutters, knuckle balls and slower ones in the middle overs, which opposition batters have found predictable at times.
Other frontline Indian pacers in the IPL, such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Avesh Khan, are all capable of bowling at different stages of the innings. But that's an aspect of Chahar's bowling that hasn't come to the fore yet.
Chahar is a constantly improving cricketer and might still be able to turn things around, but as things stand, CSK might've overpaid for the all-rounder.