Picking the combined MI and CSK 11 for IPL 2023
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 will begin in a few months and all eyes will be on the two most decorated franchises of the league - Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While the two sides have won a total of nine IPL trophies, both teams finished in the bottom two of the IPL 2022 table.
With the aim of making a roaring comeback in IPL 2023, MI and CSK signed some big names at the mini-auction which happened last Friday in Kochi. Both teams went all out to sign pace-bowling all-rounders and backup options for their specialist batters and bowlers.
In this article, we will take a look at the best combined playing XI from Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2023 squads.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma will open the innings for this team along with Chennai Super Kings' rising star Ruturaj Gaikwad. Both Sharma and Gaikwad were retained by their IPL teams before the mega auction in 2022.
Sharma has single-handedly won matches for MI and is one of the highest run-scorers in IPL history. Gaikwad, on the other hand, won the Orange Cap in 2021 and helped CSK win their fourth title.
Middle Order: Moeen Ali, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja
The star-studded middle order of this team features two Mumbai Indians players and four Chennai Super Kings squad members. Moeen Ali will bat at number three for the team, with Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav taking up the next two positions.
All three cricketers have excellent records at their respective batting positions in the IPL. Additionally, Ali can also bowl a few overs of off-spin for the team.
All-rounders Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja along with wicket-keeper MS Dhoni will form the finishers' group of this team. Stokes and Jadeja are two of the greatest all-rounders of the modern era, whereas Dhoni is regarded by many as the best wicketkeeper and finisher.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah and Maheesh Theekshana
The dream duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer will be in action in IPL 2023. They will likely share the new ball for the Mumbai Indians team. Both Bumrah and Archer have achieved enormous success in their IPL careers.
While Bumrah has always been a contender to win the Purple Cap award, Archer won the Most Valuable Player award in 2020. It will be exciting to see how this pair of right-arm pacers perform in IPL 2023.
Chennai Super Kings' Maheesh Theekshana will be the lead spinner and the fourth overseas player of this team. Theekshana made his IPL debut earlier this year for CSK. He played nine matches for the team, scalping 12 wickets at an economy rate of less than 7.5. His best figures were 4/33.
Best Combined MI and CSK IPL 2023 Playing XI
Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah and Maheesh Theekshana.