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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally revealed the schedule for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) today.
The season opener will see the Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). CSK, who have suffered a series of misfortunes in the lead-up to IPL 2020, started training mere days ago, more than a week after all other franchises.
However, MS Dhoni's men have two weeks to prepare for the marquee clash, which is scheduled for the 19th of September. Ahead of the tournament, in which CSK will attempt to secure their 4th IPL title and pull level with Rohit Sharma's men as the most decorated side in history, we attempt to predict CSK's ideal playing XI.
CSK's predicted playing XI for IPL 2020
Note: All players from England and Australia have been assumed to be available, with no official word yet regarding their participation in the first few games of IPL 2020.
Openers: Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay
Perhaps the most difficult decision to make for CSK is how to replace their vice-captain Suresh Raina, who has withdrawn from IPL 2020. The most prominent name doing the rounds is Ruturaj Gaikwad, but the young batsman is entirely untested at the IPL level and also recently positive for COVID-19.
The safe option for CSK would be to replace Raina with Murali Vijay, who is undoubtedly one of the team's best-ever players. The Tamil Nadu batsman has warmed the bench in the IPL recently, but this year's tournament might see him make a much-awaited return.
The second opening slot could be a straight toss-up between Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, and this is a really tough one to call. While the former has played a couple of crucial knocks in the IPL finals of 2018 and 2019, he hasn't quite set the world on fire in the league stage.
This, along with the fact that Du Plessis has played with Vijay in the past, could see Watson relegated to the bench.
Middle Order: Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni
In the absence of Raina, Ambati Rayudu would be the safe bet to come in at No. 3. The Hyderabad batsman has both experience and a calm head on his shoulders while batting, and his familiarity with the opening and No. 4 roles make him the perfect candidate to fill in the void left by CSK's leading run-scorer in the history of the IPL.
Rayudu could play the anchor role for CSK, and he could also attack right from the outset if the openers get off to a good start.
In the No. 4 spot that was occupied by Rayudu for the major part of the 2019 IPL, Kedar Jadhav makes a surprise appearance. The stocky batsman is guaranteed to be a part of the CSK playing XI due to the withdrawals of Raina and Harbhajan, with his off-spin on the slow and low UAE tracks expected to be a handful in IPL 2020.
Although Jadhav hasn't batted this high up the order recently, he is the best possible choice for CSK due to his experience and prowess against spin. The 35-year-old also has the ability to accelerate in the middle overs, and this promotion in the batting order could unleash the best in him.
Coming in at No. 5 is CSK captain MS Dhoni. There have been talks of him moving higher up the order now that he has retired from international retirement, but it is highly unlikely at the moment. The former Indian skipper will have to play the finisher's role for CSK in IPL 2020 although there is still enough batting left to come, and him batting at No. 4 would perhaps expose him too early.
Dhoni will be at his destructive best at No. 5, and even if he himself doesn't want to bat at the position, this is probably the decision that is the best for the team.
All-rounders: Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran
The easiest choices on this list, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo will form the backbone of the CSK batting lineup in IPL 2020. Both all-rounders have been key components of the team's success over the years in the IPL, and will be utterly crucial in the UAE.
While Bravo is CSK's premier death bowler, Jadeja will extract considerable turn in IPL 2020 and will need to be spot on with his lines and lengths. The left-arm spinner will be arguably CSK's most important player in the tournament, and could even be promoted up the order to add another dimension in the absence of fellow southpaw Raina.
New signing Sam Curran is expected to wrap up the all-rounders department in CSK's playing XI for IPL 2020. The English youngster didn't exactly make heads turn with his performances in his debut IPL season for the Kings XI Punjab, but he could play a role similar to the one Albie Morkel did with great success.
With his left-arm pace and stroke-filled batting, Curran would add an extra element of surprise and youth.
Bowlers: Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir
Another buy in the IPL 2020 auction, Piyush Chawla is expected to slot right into the playing XI given his hefty price tag and success in the league. The leg-spinner's potent googly and variations of pace will be lethal weapons in the absence of an off-spinner in the CSK team. He may also turn out to be handy with the bat, although MS Dhoni will hope that Chawla's services are never required.
Deepak Chahar recently tested positive for COVID-19 and has since announced that he is recovering well. Even if he is not available for the first game, he will spearhead CSK's pace attack as soon as he is fit. The Rajasthan pacer can swing the new ball both ways, and has developed into a potent death bowler over the past 2 years. Like Chawla, he is also useful with the bat.
The Purple Cap winner in the 2019 IPL with 26 wickets, Imran Tahir will take up the final overseas slot in CSK's playing XI for the 2020 IPL. The leg-spinner is on the wrong side of 40, but is still as effective as ever. A fan favourite and a major wicket-taking threat, he rounds off what is perhaps the best spin attack in IPL 2020.
CSK's Predicted Playing XI for IPL 2020:
Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir
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