5 players Chennai Super Kings should pick in IPL 2019

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were crowned the champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year as they completed their fairytale comeback to the fray of the tournament. They had to cope with a lot of hurdles during the tournament but the team filled with the veterans came out on top every time they were put under the radar. They had an exceptional leader in MS Dhoni who managed the team well and brought the best out of the limited sources available to him in the squad.

Though they’ve won the tournament, there were a few weaknesses in the team. They struggled with the ball this season and especially at the death, as they had the worst economy rate in the last five overs in the tournament. But the superior batsmen at the top of the order meant that the Men in Yellow were always ready to make amends with the bat. Going into the next season, Stephen Fleming, the coach, would be eager to have more decent bowlers up his sleeve who could bowl better especially during the closing the stages of the innings.

Here we look at the players who CSK would want to pick in IPL 2019:

1. Moises Henriques

It was surprising to see Moises Henriques go unsold in the auction earlier this year given the fact that he is worthy of an all-rounder. He played for the runner-up of this season, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), last year and they decided to part ways with him. His all-round ability and the experience of playing in the IPL earlier might have worked wonders for any franchise. But none of them bid for him and the quality player couldn’t make it to India this year.

Henriques has a huge experience of playing 176 matches in the shortest format and has amassed 3219 runs at a decent strike-rate of 125.88. His medium pace bowling is also decent as the 31-year-old can keep the lid on the run-scoring of the opposition. CSK might look to bag his services next year given that Shane Watson didn’t bowl much at the fag end of this season and even Dwayne Bravo leaked runs in the second half which made life tough for them at crunch moments. Henriques’ inclusion will lend some solidity to the batting as well and he can bowl a couple of overs too.

2. Kesrick Williams

Kesrick Williams is yet another good bowling option for the Yellow brigade to ponder in order to address their issues. He is known to unfurl his slower deliveries with perfection which are absolutely tough for the batsmen to get away with. He’s been part of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) but is yet to play in the cash-rich T20 tournament in India.

Looking at the future, CSK might go for Williams and could be a like-for-like replacement to Bravo who has some fitness issues. If the veteran gets injured, the 28-year-old will be the perfect bowler to take his place. Williams has played in 52 T20s so far and has scalped 68 wickets at an amazing strike-rate of 15.8. He is a genuine wicket-taker and has the ability to fox the batsmen with his variations and the pace. It will be interesting to see how he performs on Indian pitches but there should be no harm in giving an opportunity to the quality player.

3. Aniket Choudhary

The left-arm pacer of Rajasthan warmed the bench whole season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He has built a reputation of bowling like Mitchell Starc and has been very effective in the domestic cricket with his action. But it was strange to see him carrying only drinks and not given even a single opportunity to showcase his skills. If he is released, the CSK franchise will surely look to bag his services for the next season.

The franchise thrives in believing in a new bowler and frequent opportunities will only make Aniket a better bowler. His accurate bowling was one of the reasons why Rajasthan ended up as the runners-up in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament this year. In his overall T20 career, he has picked 47 wickets in 39 outings and has conceded runs at a decent economy of 7.54. He might prove to be an answer to the bowling woes of the Champions while defending the title next year.

4. Luke Ronchi

The IPL auction threw a lot of surprises this year as the highest run-getter of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was not even considered as the replacement for any of the players. He has been in amazing form in the last few months and has found a mojo after retiring from international cricket. The wicketkeeper-batsman has not been part of the cash-rich league since 2009 and was expected to be picked by some franchise this year.

CSK might go for him next year considering that he will continue to bat in the same vein. The fitness might become an issue for Shane Watson in the next season and Ronchi looks a decent replacement for him in case of an injury. Though it is not a long-term solution, the Kiwi cricketer is good enough player to give quickfire starts in the powerplay. His T20 strike-rate of 157.29 in 161 matches proves that he is a swashbuckling batsman and his inclusion would work wonders for Dhoni and Co.

5. Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav didn’t play a single game for Delhi Daredevils this season. The off-spinner is known for his accurate lines and lengths and curbs the run-scoring of the opponents. Unfortunately, he was never in the equation for the Daredevils this season even as they gave chances to the benched players after being knocked out of the tournament. He was one of the very few players in the squad not to get an opportunity and the CSK might look to draft him in the team as a replacement for Harbhajan Singh.

They need a quality off-spinner in their line-up as Bhajji might not play next season considering his age and the diminishing abilities. Yadav could prove to be a good option whose economy rate of 5.95 in this format after playing 40 matches is highly impressive. Though he has struggled to increase the number in the wickets column, he will improve after playing more matches. It remains to be seen if Delhi releases him and then which team approaches the offie next year.

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