IPL 2020: The potentially best XI for Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the most successful as well as the most popular team in IPL's history. They have a unique record of reaching knockout stages in all the seasons they played until now. They won the IPL trophy in 2018 and ended as runner-ups in the 2019 edition of the lucrative league.

They didn't make any trades during the IPL trade window. In the IPL 2020 Auction, their top picks were Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, and Piyush Chawla. CSK as always retained most of the core members of their team before the auction. They strategically used the bidding process and bought in quality players who provide them with the best alternatives in case of injury issues to any primary players.

Squad for IPL 2020: Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, MS Dhoni, Josh Hazlewood, Kedar Jadhav, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Monu Kumar, Shane Watson, Sai Kishore

Their experienced squad looks promising on paper, so we can expect the CSK team to have yet another stellar season in IPL. Now, let us take a look at the best possible combination for the CSK team during the upcoming IPL season.

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Openers: Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu

Veteran batsmen, Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu shall open the innings for in IPL 2020. The duo had a highly successful season as an opening pair in IPL 2018 in which they played a crucial role in CSK's title-winning campaign. Last season the pair were separated as Faf du Plessis opened the innings alongside Watson.

This time around, MS Dhoni might decide to pick an overseas pace bowler in the playing XI so Faf du Plessis might have to sit out. This will open the doors for Rayudu to return to the opening position where he had his most successful IPL season. Faf du Plessis and Murali Vijay will the back-up choices for the opening role in this squad.

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Middle-order: Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c), Dwayne Bravo

Suresh Raina will bat at the familiar number 3 position for the team, a role he has been portraying with distinction since 2008. His batting form will be crucial for the team as he is their mainstay in the middle order.

MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav will follow him in the line-up. Both are vastly experienced and will look to guide the innings during the middle phase of the game. Seasoned all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja will collectively handle the finishing responsibilities along with the skipper MS Dhoni.

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Lower-order: Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, and Dwayne Bravo will form the pace bowling department of this XI. The CSK management has always relied on spinners to win them matches so their bowling attack will comprise 3 specialist spinners. Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, and Imran Tahir will manage the spin department in this XI. Tahir was the team's leading wicket-taker last season. CSK will be hoping for a similar kind of performance from the South African during the upcoming season.

Best XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(C), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir