3 reasons why Akash Singh should start in CSK's starting XI in IPL 2023 

Ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday, March 31, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt a huge blow as their pacer Mukesh Choudhary was ruled out of the tournament.

Choudhary, who made his debut last season, is recovering from a stress fracture and hence is sidelined from the 16th edition of the IPL.

As a replacement for Choudhary, CSK announced the arrival of Akash Singh on Thursday, March 30.

The Nagaland pacer has thus far played nine T20s in addition to nine List A matches and five first-class games, claiming 31 wickets in total. He will join CSK for ₹20 lakh.

With Akash Singh joining the CSK camp for IPL 2023, let's take a look at three reasons why he should be named in the starting XI for the franchise in the upcoming campaign.

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#3 No other left-arm pacer in the CSK squad

Having a left-arm pacer in the team adds to the advantage for that particular side. The angles that a left-armer generates prove to be quite valuable, especially against the likes of right-handed batters.

Mukesh used those angles massively in IPL 2022. However, apart from him, CSK have no other left-arm pace option. That's where Akash could come in handy and be a like-for-like replacement for Mukesh.

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#2 Can replicate what Mukesh did in IPL 2022

In his debut season last year, Mukesh Choudhary came up with a superlative showing, claiming 16 wickets at an average of 26.6 and at a strike rate of 17.06 across 13 games.

Eleven out of Mukesh's 16 strikes came inside the powerplay, the joint-most by any bowler during this phase of the tournament.

The Rajasthan-born pacer used the new ball to great effect and troubled the opposition batters with disciplined line and length.

CSK smartly opted to name Akash Singh as Mukesh's replacement as the former himself is known to be a lethal new-ball pacer.

Much like the man he has replaced, Akash has a knack for inflicting vital blows with the new ball. Moreover, the 20-year-old is somewhat quicker than Mukesh as well.

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#1 Can take up the death bowling responsibilities as well

Much like last year, the thorn in CSK's flesh could be their death bowling in IPL 2023 as well.

The four-time IPL champions don't have any gun death bowlers and can only rely on Dwaine Pretorius to do the needed duty. However, even Pretorius' place in the starting XI is not certain at the moment.

Adding Akash Singh to the mix, however, could be a smart move by CSK. The left-arm pacer is not only handy with the new ball but is adept at bowling at the death as well.

In fact, during the U-19 World Cup in 2020, Akash picked up 58 percent of his wickets at the death. His economy of 3.7 was also laudable, to say the least.

A player who possesses a lethal yorker in him, Akash could well be the surprise package for CSK in the forthcoming IPL season.