CSK could send Sam Curran up the order at No.3 as Suresh Raina's replacement: Sivaramakrishnan

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a huge blow after their vice-captain Suresh Raina pulled out of this year’s IPL citing personal reasons. According to reports, Raina was terrified after witnessing the current state of CSK camp. CSK will have a tough task to fill the void.

Considering the depth and variety in the CSK squad, Raina’s departure didn’t force the franchise to scout for a replacement. Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan feels MS Dhoni can promote England all-rounder Sam Curran up the order and fill Raina’s absence.

Sivaramakrishnan said that Curran could take guard at No.3 and play the role of a pinch hitter to boost the team’s run-rate. Even if a wicket falls early in the innings, Curran would be able to make full use of the field restrictions.

We have seen Dhoni preferring left-arm pacers: Sivaramakrishnan

“He (Curran) can bat at No. 3 and give CSK those useful runs. Over the years, we have also seen Dhoni preferring left-arm pacers. Curran can come in handy since he can swing the ball in the air and is a very enthusiastic fielder,” Siva told the Times of India.

Curran had played a blistering 55-run knock in the previous IPL edition while donning the Kings XI Punjab jersey. KXIP management also promoted him up the order to make optimum use of the powerplay overs. Proving his worth with the ball, Curran also scalped a hat-trick against the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019. His impressive performances in both the departments led to Chennai buying him for INR 5.5 crore in IPL 2020 auction.

Siva also opined that Curran could negotiate with leg-spinners easily as he is a left-hander. According to him, CSK have a utility player in Curran and they could experiment by sending the English all-rounder up the order.

“In T20s, most teams employ leg spinners to trouble the right-handers. But then, a left-hander could negotiate with leggies easily. So, the loss of such an established batsman like Raina would hurt CSK. But they have a utility player in Curran and could send the southpaw up the order,” Siva added.