CSK not keen to replace injured Mitchell Santner

With the biggest cricketing event in India’s calendar – IPL just around the corner, the teams have started off with their penultimate preparations. The upcoming edition will also witness the return of two franchises, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) into the fray. Both the sides will be returning after a 2-year hiatus following their involvement in a betting scandal.

However recently, CSK dealt a severe blow to their preparation as New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner was ruled out for the season due to a knee injury. Santner, who was bought for Rs 50 lakh in the January auction, was set to be a key player in the Yellow Brigade squad. The two-time champions will be without the services of R Ashwin, who has been appointed as the new skipper of Kings XI Punjab for the upcoming season.

Despite Santner’s injury, the franchise is not keen to seek a replacement for the injured player. The spin-bowling all-rounder was tipped to be part of their plans, but with a good mix of tweakers around, the team management hasn’t requested for a replacement. They are likely to seek one only if the need arises.

Thus in his absence, the MS Dhoni-led squad will have Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir as the only two reputed spinners in the squad with Ravindra Jadeja set to play the role of a third spinning option. Karn Sharma is another player who can play a key role for CSK this season.

Santner to be out for 6-9 months

New Zealand cricket informed on Wednesday that the spinner will undergo a knee surgery which means he will miss out on the upcoming Test series against England followed by the Indian Premier League. As per the reports, Santner could be out of cricketing action for six to nine months.

Mitchell Santner was recently named in Test squad to face England and in the ODI series had performed well with both bat and ball and was becoming an integral member of New Zealand’s young side led by Kane Williamson.

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