The IPL 2024 auction saw a lot of interesting buys from various franchises like CSK, MI, GT, etc. Chennai Super Kings made several smart buys in the auction like getting Rachin Ravindra for just 1.8 Crores, buying the NZ middle order batter Daryl Mitchell, and also buying a local UP talent like Sameer Rizvi for 8.4 Crores. Shardul Thakur also came back to his old franchise CSK and alongside him, Mustafizur Rahman was also taken in the squad.
Also read: Chennai Super Kings full squad for IPL 2024
Chennai Super Kings Probable XI for IPL 2024
Here, in this article, we will have a look at how CSK’s Playing XI could look in the upcoming IPL 2024 edition.
Openers: (Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad)
CSK is expected to continue to open with Conway and Gaikwad who were very successful and played a crucial role for the Chennai franchise in lifting the IPL 2023 title. Conway was the highest run-scorer for CSK in IPL 2023 with 672 runs to his name from 15 innings with an average of 51.69 and a strike rate of 139.7, while Gaikwad scored 590 runs from 15 innings at an average of 42.14 with a strike rate of 147.5.
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Middle Order: (Rachin Ravindra, Shivam Dube, Daryl Mitchell, MS Dhoni)
The two new Kiwi buys in the auction are expected to start in the XI ahead of players like Rahane and Moeen Ali in the side. However, one among Rachin Ravindra (or) Daryl Mitchell could miss out on the XI if CSK decides to play both Pathirana and Theekshana in the Playing XI.
Daryl Mitchell could be a perfect replacement for Ambati Rayudu because he plays the spinners very well in the middle overs of the game.
Shivam Dube’s six-hitting ability has been the biggest advantage for their side in the middle overs to accelerate their team total. He smashed 35 sixes in the 2023 IPL which is the second highest in that tournament.
MS Dhoni as skipper will be seen playing on the field in IPL 2024 after 10 months. He remains to be the only player to captain his franchise in IPL among those who started way back in 2008
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All-Rounder: (Ravindra Jadeja)
Ravindra Jadeja would be the second name to start in the Playing XI without a question after MS Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Jadeja with the ball in middle overs has been instrumental for CSK over the years. In IPL 2023, he picked 20 wickets with the ball at an impressive economy of 7.56.
Jadeja was the second-highest wicket-taker with the ball for CSK in that IPL season, and his finishing skill with the bat also played a pivotal role in crucial games like the 2023 final.
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Bowlers: (Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande)
Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar will be playing once together for CSK after the 2021 IPL. Deepak Chahar’s impressive bowling in the powerplay overs could play an impactful role in deciding CSK’s fate while Thakur’s fearless attitude has been pretty impressive.
Tushar Deshpande was the leading wicket-taker (21) for CSK in the IPL 2023 season, while Pathirana’s clingy action will be crucial for their team’s chances to control the scoring rate in the death overs of the game.
CSK may continue to choose Theekshana over Pathirana on a spin-dominant pitch, however, if they plan to play both Pathirana and Theekshana then Rachin Ravindra is most likely to get benched.
Players like Sameer Rizvi, and Ajinkya Rahane also have a good chance to feature in XI due to the overseas players constraint and also the impact player rule.
