IPL 2018: 3 possible replacements of MS Dhoni as captain against RR

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are in a state of flux currently with a back injury to their calm and cool skipper MS Dhoni. He injured his back badly while playing the blistering innings of 79* runs in the last game against Kings XI Punjab. Doni himself admitted that the state of his injury is not so good after the match and it is likely that he might sit out of their next match against Rajasthan Royals. However, if that happens, it will be a huge blow for Chennai as they are already facing a lot of problems this season.

CSK are already coping with an injury to Suresh Raina and had to play without him in the last match. Kedar Jadhav was also ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, they also lost their home ground Chepauk Stadium following the Cauvery Row in the State which saw people protesting staging of the matches outside the Stadium.

Here we bring you 3 possible replacements of Dhoni as captain if he fails to recover:

1. Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is the leading candidate for the position as he has the experience of being at the helm before while leading the now-defunct Gujarat Lions team. Though he is currently injured and sat out of the last game, the explosive left-hander is likely to return for their next encounter. The responsibility might bring the best out of the cricketer as he is yet to hit the straps in this season in Yellow jersey.

Also, he was seen hitting the ball sweetly in the net session ahead of the match and in case Dhoni opts to rest for their game against Royals, Raina will come in as the skipper of the team right away. It will be interesting to see the way he approaches the role in the absence of Dhoni and if he his batting will flourish at the same time.

2. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh is another candidate to lead CSK having done the same at the domestic level and Mumbai Indians before. He is the veteran off-spinner and has all the experience under his belt to lead the side. So far he has performed decently leading the relatively inexperienced bowling attack. Even Dhoni has put an onus on him and had given him the first over in the last game in order to keep Chris Gayle quiet.

He has picked 2 wickets so far in 3 matches this year but has the best economy of all the bowlers. The appointment of Harbhajan as the skipper might only come if Dhoni and Raina both fail to get fit in time for their next encounter in Pune at MCA International Stadium.

3. Shane Watson

Shane Watson is another option in the hands of CSK management who is in sizzling touch with both bat and ball. He has done everything for his team so far. Watson has provided key breakthroughs for his team whenever his captain needed and has got them off to sensational starts in pursuit of some big run-chases. CSK so far chased down a couple of scores of over 190 and the former Australian played a crucial role in both of them.

The in-form all-rounder has so far scored 69 runs in 3 outings in Yellow jersey but has scored all these runs at a strike rate of 164.29 which makes him the most important player of the line-up. He is the highest wicket-taker for CSK with 5 wickets to his name with a decent economy of 8.3. The captaincy might put more pressure on him but he is a brilliant option to consider.

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