IPL 2022: Wasim Jaffer picks Deepak Chahar's possible replacements

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer believes MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could ask a young uncapped player to replace injured pacer Deepak Chahar in the first few games of IPL 2022. He earmarked Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh and Mukesh Choudhary as possible options.

Deepak Chahar became CSK's record signing for ₹14 crore at the IPL 2022 auction in Bengaluru last month. However, shortly after the event, he suffered a right quadriceps injury while bowling in India's third home T20I against West Indies in Kolkata. He's currently undergoing rehab and is expected to miss out on at least the first few games of the upcoming IPL season.

He'll be a major miss not only because of his price but also because of his unparalleled prowess with the new ball and handy contributions with the willow lower down the order. CSK can either shift their usual balance and replace him with an extra overseas bowler like Chris Jordan or take a bigger gamble with an inexperienced pacer.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo's show 'Runorder', Wasim Jaffer batted for the latter option, saying:

"We could see MS Dhoni giving confidence to the younger guys, the uncapped guys whether it's Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh who bowls for Delhi in the powerplay [or] Mukesh Choudhary - he's a left-armer who bowls at decent speeds... The Mumbai wickets will need a little bit of pace so these guys can bowl."

Deshpande is the most experienced among the three, having picked up three wickets from five games for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020. He was recently seen dismissing Dhoni in a CSK practice game as well.

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Simarjeet, a right-arm pacer, has picked up 24 wickets from 20 T20 matches for Delhi at an average and economy rate of 20.33 and 7.45 respectively. 25-year-old Chaudhary, meanwhile, has 16 wickets at an average of 22.93 from 12 T20s in Maharashtra colors.

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"If there was a replacement, Deepak Chahar wouldn't have gone for ₹14 crore" - Aakash Chopra

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Another former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra, feels there isn't a straightforward replacement available for Deepak Chahar. Speaking during the same interaction, he said CSK will look to tweak their strategy and shift their reliance away from the right-arm pacer's new-ball contributions. He explained:

"Honestly, if there was a replacement, he wouldn't have gone for ₹14 crore. This is how simple that is. Secondly, we tend to overemphasize and focus on 'this is what we are missing.' Yes, you will be missing a lot of wickets in the powerplay overs but is that the only way to succeed in a T20 game? Yes, it is an important component - you pick up early wickets and suddenly you've got a fantastic start. But isn't there another formula to do well as a team? That's what CSK will be thinking right now."

Defending champions CSK will kick off their IPL 2021 schedule with a bumper opening clash against last season's runners-up the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 at the Wankhade Stadium.