Picking the combined RR and CSK 11 for IPL 2023

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) played in the final of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. While RR emerged as winners, the two franchises have had an opposite trajectory when it comes to their 15 years in the competition.

While CSK have gone on to win the title four times and have made it a habit of qualifying, RR have struggled to create an impact on a consistent basis, even finishing at the bottom of the table on multiple occasions.

Both franchises had an impactful mega auction in 2022, the Sanju Samson-led side in particular, after some smart bidding. The new-look RR team finished as runners-up last season.

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Following the IPL 2023 mini-auction, both teams have taken shape even better with important all-rounder acquisitions like Ben Stokes and Jason Holder to provide balance and additional bowling options to the side, something which troubled them in 2022.

On that note, here is a combined playing XI of CSK and RR's IPL 2023 squads

Openers - Jos Buttler (WK) and Ruturaj Gaikwad

Jos Buttler has earned the title of being one of the best batters in T20 cricket and also has a T20 World Cup under his belt as well. He scored four centuries in the previous IPL campaign and played a key role in RR's run to the final. He is currently playing in SA20 and has shown a good run of form to kick-start the year.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite a lean season in 2022, is one of the most important batters in the CSK camp. The 2021 Orange Cap winner has had a fantastic domestic season and is also in the T20I squad for the three-match series against New Zealand.

CSK's Devon Conway and RR's Devdutt Padikkal and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also good candidates for the opening slot, with their left-handed batting certainly tipping the scales in their favor.

Middle order- Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson (Captain), and Shimron Hetmyer

CSK made a landmark acquisition by shelling out to secure the services of Ben Stokes at the mini-auction. Considering that he is more of a batting all-rounder, he must play at the top of the batting unit to get the best out of him.

Sanju Samson will be looking forward to the IPL 2023 campaign after a forgettable home season in India colors. He should be fit and raring to go and is the ideal candidate to take the No. 4 spot, with the other options being CSK's Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu.

Another reason behind RR's success last season, something that went under the radar, was Shimron Hetmyer's input. He has had a forgettable last few months on the back of his omission from the T20 World Cup 2022, but that takes nothing away from his contributions in IPL 2022, where he scored 314 runs at a strike rate of 153.92.

His ability to come in and start playing his shots right away makes him a valuable asset and a very high-impact player.

All-rounders - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Deepak Chahar

Finger spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja once shared the spin bowling duties for CSK. The duo can take control of the middle overs with their accurate defensive bowling, allowing the other strike bowlers to chip away with the wickets.

Ashwin has also been working on his batting and was even utilized by RR in the top order as well. He scored 191 runs at a strike rate of 141 in 17 matches, which is far better than any of his batting credentials across his IPL career.

While Riyan Parag's imperious form on the domestic circuit makes him a close contender to make it into the combined playing XI, Ashwin's experience and versatility just make the cut.

Deepak Chahar has also proven that he is no slouch with the bat by any means. The right-arm pacer's biggest issue has been the constant interruption of injuries. He missed the entire IPL 2022 season, but when fully fit, there are only a few better exponents with the new ball than him.

The prospect of Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, and plenty of other all-rounders could be considered, but their inclusion does not bode well with the look of this combined XI.

Bowlers - Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, and Yuzvendra Chahal

RR had one of the best rounded-up bowling attacks in the league and CSK were, and are still largely reliant on their all-rounders.

If someone is the ideal partner for Deepak Chahar with the new ball, it has to be Trent Boult. If the ball moves around, rest assured that the duo will take care of the powerplay all by themselves.

Despite his poor form of late, reigning purple cap holder Yuzvendra Chahal is still a huge threat. With Maheesh Theeksana largely a defensive option, the leg-spinner made the cut over the inclusion of a third finger-spinner in the playing XI.

The inclusion of Prasidh Krishna provides the extra pace that the bowling unit lacks a little. His ability to extract bounce and maintain his length proves to be beneficial, which is backed by his numbers from the previous campaign, doing a phenomenal job for the side.

The ominous lack of genuine death bowlers is glaring across both squads. CSK do not have Dwayne Bravo or Chris Jordan among their ranks anymore. They might employ the use of Ben Stokes for the role while RR will have to use the overs of their pacers wisely.

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