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Chennai Super Kings registered their 8th win of IPL 2018, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and have all but qualified for the playoffs.
CSK, a team that are making a comeback into the IPL after a gap of two years, have relied on the old guns to deliver and this strategy has paid off. The experienced T20 players like Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu have come good with some match-winning performances in crunch situations.
Also, the captain himself has been phenomenal this season and has played some scintillating knocks. The bowling though has been a cause of concern for the Super Kings. Dhoni has been critical of CSK's bowling and has asked for more from his bowlers.
CSK will also need to figure out their best playing XI for the playoffs as they have chopped and changed a lot over the course of the tournament so far.
Here, we look at the strongest playing XI for CSK going into the playoffs.
Openers
#1 Shane Watson
Shane Watson is the only player in IPL history to have won the man of the tournament award twice, owing to which he was bought by CSK for 4 crores at the auction. The all-rounder has looked unstoppable this season. In the 12 matches that he has played this year he has scored 424 runs at an average of 35.33 and a strike-rate of 154.74. He has also delivered with the ball, taking 6 wickets. Watson will be crucial for CSK in the playoffs.
#2 Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu has been the surprise package for CSK. The right-hand batsman was given the responsibility of opening the innings, something that he hasn't done that often in his career. However, Rayudu has made the most of the opportunity and has scored 535 runs at an outstanding average of 48.63 in the 12 matches that he has played this season. CSK will want Rayudu to continue his good form in the playoffs as well.
Openers
#1 Shane Watson
Shane Watson is the only player in IPL history to win the man of the tournament award twice, owing to which he was bought by CSK for a hefty amount of 4 crores at the auction. The all-rounder has looked unstoppable this season. In the 12 matches that he has played this year he has scored 424 runs at an average of 35.33 and a strike-rate of 154.74. He has also delivered with his medium pace bowling taking 6 wickets. Watson will be crucial for CSK's chances in the playoffs.
#2 Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu has been a surprise package for CSK. The right-hand batsman was given the responsibility of opening the innings, something that he hasn't done that often in his career. However, Rayudu made the most of the opportunity and has scored 535 runs at an outstanding average of 48.63 in the 12 matches that he has played this season. His terrific IPL form also led to a comeback in the Indian ODI team. CSK will want Rayudu to continue his good form in the playoffs as well.
Middle-order
#3 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina, one of the most successful batsmen in IPL history, was one of three players retained by CSK before the auction. The southpaw has repaid the faith put in him by playing some steady innings. He has been the backbone of CSK's middle-order this season, providing stability with some consistent displays. Raina has scored 315 runs at an impressive average of 35 this season. He would look to score big runs during the business end of the competition and his experience will be important in CSK's quest for their third IPL title.
#4 MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni seems to be a man on a mission this season. He has worked on the areas that bowlers targeted him in the last couple of years and has played with intent. Dhoni is having one of the best IPL seasons of his career and has already scored 413 runs at a mind-boggling average of 103.25. What will please Dhoni fans the most is his fantastic strike-rate - 162.59. He has also led the side well and is one of the major reasons for CSK's grand comeback into the IPL.
#5 Sam Billings
Sam Billings announced himself in IPL 2018 with a match-winning innings of 56 runs off 23 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to build on the initial success as he has struggled to get going of late, especially against the spinners. To be fair to Billings, he has batted mostly in the death overs and with Faf du Plessis and Murali Vijay out of form, CSK are likely to stick with him.
All-rounders and Spinners
#6 Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is one of the most loved CSK players. He has entertained the crowds with some fabulous cricket over the years and he has done it this year too. Bravo has been entrusted with the difficult task of bowling in the death this season and has delivered most of the time. He has also played a couple of crucial cameos at the end of the innings. Bravo has taken 9 wickets and has scored 133 runs at a strike-rate of 170.51. The Trinidadian is one of Dhoni's most reliable players and will have a major role to play in the playoffs.
#7 Ravindra Jadeja
Questions were raised about Jadeja's place in the side after a poor start to the tournament, but he has redeemed himself a little with some good bowling spells. Dhoni has backed Jadeja to come good throughout the IPL but his form has been patchy. This season he has managed to take only 7 wickets so far. Even though Jadeja had shown signs of returning to form in the last few games, CSK's team management will certainly want more from the all-rounder going into the playoffs.
#8 Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh was bought by Chennai Super Kings for his base price of 2 crores at the auction. The off-spinner has had a decent IPL so far. He has certainly not looked as threatening as before, but he has managed to put in a couple of strong performances. The off-spinner has bowled with an acceptable economy of 8.08 runs per over this season and will want to contribute more going forward.
Pacers
#9 Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar has been CSK's most impressive bowler of the season. Dhoni has used Chahar in the powerplays and he has troubled batsmen with his swing. He has taken 7 wickets in the tournament so far and has been CSK's most economical bowler with a fantastic economy of 7.29 runs per over. Chahar suffered a hamstring injury in the match against Mumbai Indians but made a good comeback against Sunrisers Hyderabad, thus eliminating all concerns regarding his form and fitness.
#10 Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur came into the IPL on the back of some good performances in the domestic circuit. He was also part of India's squad on the tours of South Africa and Sri Lanka. The Mumbai pacer has done reasonably well for CSK this year and has been majorly used by Dhoni in the death overs. Even though Thakur's economy, 8.85 runs per over, has been on the higher side, he has been able to take wickets and is CSK's leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 11 wickets.
#11 Lungi Ngidi
Lungi Ngidi was forced to miss the start of the tournament following his father's demise but he has looked sharp in the 3 matches that he has played since. Despite that, he was dropped in favour of David Willey. With Willey unable to make an impact, CSK might go back to Ngidi once the playoffs begin. The South African pace sensation has the ability to provide crucial breakthroughs and add much-needed strength to CSK's weak bowling attack.
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