Mitchell Santner vs Maheesh Theekshana - who should CSK pick for their IPL 2023 clash against RR?

New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner has been in impressive form for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 so far. In three matches, he has claimed three wickets without giving away too many runs.

Santner went wicketless against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the season opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad but conceded only 32 runs in his four overs.

He was excellent against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and stifled their batters with figures of 1/21 from his four overs, claiming the wicket of Deepak Hooda.

Santner’s best performance of the season, however, came in CSK's last match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium. He registered figures of 2/28, picking up the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Arshad Khan.

Santner and fellow left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3/20) combined brilliantly to restrict the Mumbai Indians to 157/8. Having made a significant impact with his bowling, CSK will find it difficult to leave out the New Zealander from the playing XI for their next match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), which will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, April 12.

At the same time, they will be tempted to play Maheesh Theekshana as well. The Sri Lankan spinner has joined the CSK camp following the conclusion of the New Zealand tour.

There is a possibility that all three spinners might find a place in the playing XI. However, if it comes down to playing two slow bowlers, Chennai will have a tough time deciding between Theekshana and Santner.

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Economy vs wicket-taking ability

The Kiwi left-arm spinner has been impressive in the ongoing season. (Pic: iplt20.com)

If we analyze the strengths of Santner and Theekshana, the Kiwi is renowned for bowling a tight line and length and keeping things extremely tight.

In 15 IPL matches so far, the former has picked up 13 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 27.54 and a strike rate of 24. However, he has an excellent economy rate of 6.88. Except for the 2020 edition, he has had an economy rate of under seven in every other edition he has featured in.

Theekshana, meanwhile, has played nine IPL games so far, claiming 12 wickets at an average of 21.75 and a strike rate of 17.50. His economy rate, though, has been slightly on the higher side - 7.46.

If we look at their overall T20 career, Santner has claimed 158 wickets in 156 matches at an average of 23.78 and an economy rate of 6.99.

Speaking of Theekshana, he has 109 scalps in 102 matches at an average of 22.70 and an economy rate of 6.44. So when it comes to overall numbers, Theekshana has a better economy rate than Santner.

The New Zealander, of course, is a much-better batter, but that factor is unlikely to be a clinching factor since he hardly gets to bat. He has played only five innings in his IPL career so far and has faced 54 balls in which he has scored 56 runs at a strike rate of 103.70.

While he is more than a decent batter, big-hitting is not Santner’s forte, which is why he hasn’t been as effective with the bat in the T20 format.

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The versatility factor

Maheesh Theekshana celebrates a wicket with CSK teammates. (Pic: iplt20.com)

The advantage of having Theekshana in the playing XI is that he can open the bowling and claim early wickets as well.

The Lankan spinner is also comfortable bowling in the middle overs. The mystery element around him remains a decisive factor as opposition batters still face trouble picking his variations. What stands out about Theekshana is that wherever he bowls, he mostly looks threatening.

Santner too has opened the bowling in the past in T20 cricket, but he prefers bowling between overs five and 15. So when it comes to the versatility factor, Theekshana has the edge. Santner, on the other hand, has loads of experience, which is irreplaceable. He has proved the same in the ongoing IPL as well.

The ideal scenario for Chennai would be to play all three spinners in Jadeja, Santner, and Theekshana. That combination would, however, also depend on what the pitch has to offer.

The first match played here between CSK and LSG was a belter, which saw both teams scoring over 200 runs. Chennai skipper MS Dhoni himself admitted that he was surprised with how well the wicket played.

Santner, Theekshana, or both - it’s a tough call. Better to leave the headache for CSK’s think tank.