Aakash Chopra selects his starting XI for the Chennai Super Kings

The Auction for the IPL 2018 was a mega affair with the owners trying to use their purse to build the right team. IPL 2018 is also going to mark a return of two of the most successful teams, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings. The fans would be waiting eagerly for this year’s premier domestic tournament as most of the teams have a lot of new recruits and it would be interesting to note how things shape up once the action gets underway.

Chennai Super Kings has been one of the formidable teams in the history of the IPL. They have had a settled outfit for long and have been a Champion side under the able leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. One of the major reasons behind the success of The Super Kings has been that the core of their team comprises the stalwarts of Indian ODI Cricket like Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and, R. Ashwin. One of the major talking points for the Chennai Super Kings during this year’s Auction was their trust on players who are not quite young.

Since the teams were built, there have been lots of discussions regarding the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various teams. Former Indian opener and commentator Akash Chopra has picked up his starting XI for the Chennai Super Kings. And it has to be said that, the team seems to boast of some well-experienced players.

Here’s the team that Akash has picked:

Sam Billings is one of the most explosive English Batsmen currently. The Super Kings would like him to fire at the top of the order along with either Faf Du Plessis or Shane Watson. The Middle-order comprising Raina, Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav have the capability to score runs at a fair pace. Dwayne Bravo has been a trusted ally for the Super Kings and will once again be entrusted to do the job with both bat and ball.

Ravindra Jadeja would be looking to make a comeback into the Indian ODI side and some match-winning performances from him would put things back on track. It would be interesting to note how Harbhajan Singh settles into the team after spending a decade with the Mumbai Indians. English pacer Mark Wood and Shardul Thakur would try to forge a settled new-ball partnership. One of the notable factors in this team seems to be the bowling department and Mark Wood and Shardul  Thakur have to step up as the Super Kings seem to be a little thin on that front.

Here’s the team:

Sam Billings, Shane Watson/ Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C & wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Mark Wood, Shardul Thakur.

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