IPL 2019: 5 players Chennai Super Kings might release after this season

The Chennai Super Kings fell short of their 4th IPL title by 1 run as the Mumbai Indians held their nerve to beat CSK in a nerve-wracking encounter in Hyderabad.

This season was another success for the ageing CSK side who banked more on experience than on youth. This time however, it was their bowlers who did the job for them more than their batsmen. Their openers and middle order batsmen failed to make the desired impact and a lot of changes can be expected in that department ahead of this season.

Imran Tahir, was brilliant as he picked up 26 wickets from 17 games to win the Purple Cap. Along with Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja, he spun a web around the opposition batsmen.

However, most of the CSK players are slowly getting past their prime and with few of them reaching the twilight of their careers, some players could retire after this season.

Hence CSK's policy of releasing a lesser number of players might not be possible this time around. They may have to indulge more in the auction next season and release quite a lot of players.

On that note, let's take a look at 5 players who CSK could release ahead of next season.

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#5 Sam Billings

Billins walks back to the pavilion. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20)

CSK are a side who don't believe in too much of changes to their squad and retained their entire quota of foreigners, except for Mark Wood ahead of this season. However, most of their overseas players barring few were purely functional and didn't make too much impact, one of them was Sam Billings.

Billings won CSK the game against KKR early last season but since then, he failed to make it to the playing XI on a regular basis. He was dismissed for a duck in the only game he featured in this season.

He is one of those overseas players who doesn't seem to fit in CSK's current scheme of things and is always going to be surplus. Retaining him will only fill the overseas players' quota not allowing CSK to sign a quality international fast bowler or a dashing opener to fill in to the ageing boots of somebody like Shane Watson.

#4 Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma was super sloppy on the field. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20)

Mohit Sharma was signed by the Chennai Super Kings for a whopping ₹5 crore but his buy turned out to be a questionable one for CSK. The pacer was allowed to play in only one game where he failed to make the desired impact and picked up just one wicket leaking runs at an economy of 9.00 and was a sloppy mess on the field.

After 2 below-par seasons with Kings XI Punjab, CSK are unlikely to persist with him and they will regret their choice to bid for him. They will be looking to sign a more younger, energetic pacer to join this side which doesn't use too many young players.

Releasing Mohit will free up a lot of money and hopefully, the side will also use the young players who have watched from the sidelines for 2 seasons now.

#3 Kedar Jadhav

Jadhav didn't create the impact expected from him. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20)

After being bought for ₹7.8 Crore and playing just one game last season, Kedar Jadhav had a lot of hopes riding on him, but he didn't have the kind of season he would have hoped for. The batting all-rounder managed to score just 162 runs in 14 innings, averaging just 18.00 and a strike-rate of 95.85. He later suffered an injury which ruled him out of the later parts of the tournament.

He is a big match-winner who can deliver on the big stages but the side's patience with him might have perished after his poor outing this season. He still has MS Dhoni's backing but with a lot of other performers available in the side and in the auction, CSK might consider releasing Jadhav because it will free up a lot of money.

Moreover, Jadhav is an ageing player and with his performances not up to the mark, he might be released if he doesn't perform well on the international stage.

#2 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan was brilliant with the ball right from start till the end. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20)

Harbhajan Singh proved that CSK's strategy of backing experienced players was a good one with his brilliant showing in IPL 2019. The veteran off-spinner picked up 16 wickets from 11 games at a neat economy rate of 7.09 and ticked all the boxes right from his first game.

He was used as a wicket-taking options against all left-handers and bowled very well during the power play. His deceptive change of pace, top spin and understanding of the slow surface in Chennai was a big plus to CSK. However, the pitch is not expected to remain the same after many complaints arose over the pitch stating that it wasn't suitable for T20 cricket and if it reverts back to the old Chennai track, Bhajji's advantage will be neutralized.

Also, since he isn't playing international cricket unlike someone like Imran Tahir, it becomes tough for a player to remain in touch with the game and with him set to turn 40 by the time the next season ends, he might want to call it a day and ask the management to release him.

#1 Shane Watson

Shane Watson. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20)

Shane Watson managed to redeem himself after a poor season with the bat as he scored 2 back-to-back half-centuries in the Qualifier 2 and the Final albeit in a losing cause as his run-out enabled the Mumbai Indians to clinch the game. However, barring these 2 innings and a stunning 96 against SRH, Watson looked out of touch and struggled to survive past the power play overs.

His freedom seemed to have been curbed as teams planned to choke him with a stringent line before bringing on a spinner to finish him off. Watson was able to score only 398 runs in 17 innings, averaging 23.41 at a sub-par strike-rate of 127.56, and these stats clearly show that Watson's golden run in T20s is coming to an end.

One of CSK's biggest problems this season was their failure to get going in the power play, and while du Plessis did a good job, another poor season from Watson could be difficult for CSK to accomodate.

The Aussie has already retired from the BBL and he might decide to retire after this season and force CSK to release him.