IPL 2018: 5 players who Chennai Super Kings should axe

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have made a dream comeback to the roster of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year after serving the suspension of two years. They started the season with a stroke of luck with Dwayne Bravo playing a cameo to get them over the line in a thrilling game against the defending champions. But they managed to ride on that victory and won a few close matches at the start of the season. However, they’ve now qualified for their seventh IPL final and are eyeing the glory for the third time.

Though the road for the finals was not easy for them courtesy of injuries to the key players during the course of the tournament. Also, MS Dhoni was miffed with the performance of the bowling attack which leaked the runs at crucial stages. The Men in Yellow are on the cusp of the history this season but they would surely want to get rid of some players who failed to live up to the expectations.

Here we bring you the 5 players who Chennai should axe:

1. Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay played only a solitary game this season and it is highly unlikely that he will be included in the final. It seemed as if he was never in the plans of the team despite being part of the franchise in the previous seasons. Moreover, the emergence of Ambati Rayudu as an opener didn’t help his cause and failed to impress in the only chance he got against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by scoring only 12 runs.

The fact that he wasn’t the preferred choice at the start of the season surprised many. Vijay has previously played some memorable knocks for CSK at the top of the order and was expected to open the innings. But as it turned out, he only warmed the bench and might well be axed for the next season. The franchise would rather prefer a decent bowler in place of him as they faced a lot of problems in that department this year.

2. Mark Wood

Mark Wood was bagged by CSK for his base price of Rs 1.5 Crore and had expected him to play most of the matches. But he proved to be expensive in the tournament opener by conceding 49 runs in his four-over spell against the Mumbai Indians (MI). He was dropped from the team since then and only carried drinks for the remainder of the season. Interestingly, he left the country before the end of the league stage ahead of the Test series against Pakistan and also plied his trade in County Cricket for Durham.

He is known to land his yorkers perfectly and had earned the reputation while playing for England in the limited overs format. But somehow he failed to replicate his form in the IPL. It is unlikely that the franchise would continue with him for the next season and would look for an able replacement for him.

3. Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir was yet another disappointment for the Yellow brigade. He was included in the playing XI from the first game of the season but leaked a lot of runs while failing to pick wickets. The leggie featured in six matches for them and scalped only 6 batsmen. He conceded runs at an economy of 9.10 and didn’t even finish his quota of four overs in some of the games.

CSK has Karn Sharma in the squad and would like to use him more in the near future. Also, Tahir would occupy a crucial overseas slot in the XI when only 4 are allowed according to the rules. His age is also not on his side and there is no point in investing him going forward. His experience might be taken into consideration but as of now, it seems that the franchise might release him ahead of the next season.

4. David Willey

David Willey’s was a late replacement for Mitchell Santner and many were excited to watch him play after his exploits as an all-rounder in the T20 Blast in England. The left-arm pacer left his County team just when the new season was about to start and was thrilled to join one of the most celebrated teams in the history of IPL. But he donned the Yellow jersey in only three matches and returned with expensive figures. Dhoni wanted him to take the responsibility of the death overs but he didn’t step up to the task.

Willey’s batting prowess was never tested in three matches thanks to the solid effort from the top order and the middle-order batsmen. But his main job was with the ball and he could pick only a couple of wickets while conceded the runs at an economy of 9.5 runs per over. Unless injuries to the key players he will not feature in the title clash for CSK.

5. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was picked by CSK in the auction this year after they failed to retain R Ashwin. He has done whatever he’s been asked to do so far by his captain. Interestingly, he even batted at number 5 in the last league game against Punjab. But his wicket-taking ability with the ball is not the same and has scalped only 7 wickets in 13 matches he’s played so far. He didn’t even bowl in the first qualifier the other day against the SRH after which many questioned his role in the team.

The veteran will turn 38-years-old by the time the next season starts and it seems that the franchise would look to invest in a youngster going forward. This might be a harsh decision but frankly, there is not much cricket left in Bhajji and might hang his boots soon.

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