IPL 2018: MS Dhoni might not keep wickets against RR

MS Dhoni registered his highest IPL score in the game against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali, where he smoked the ball to all parts of the ground. But much to the disappointment of the Chennai Super Kings fans, he failed to take them over the line and to add salt on the wound, he suffered a back injury and was palpably struggling throughout the innings.

This has been an injury-plagued season for the Chennai Super Kings, having lost Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav and Faf du Plessis already due to injuries. Whilst Raina and Du Plessis are expected to return soon, Jadhav has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament. But the worst part for CSK is to see their talismanic skipper MS Dhoni getting injured.

There were many reports earlier which suggested he might not play their next game against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday at the MCA Stadium, Pune. But as it stands, the CSK management believe he’s good enough to get into the XI. Reports in Sportskeeda also suggest that he will not keep wickets for the franchise given the management decides to play him.

Rayudu and Jagadeesan – Wicket keeping options for CSK

Given MS Dhoni’s back is not fit enough to keep wickets, CSK might field Ambati Rayudu as the keeper. On the bench, they also have N Jagadeesan, another decent option for the management. But considering a fact that Ambati Rayudu has kept wickets for Mumbai Indians in the past, he might be taking up the duties behind the stumps.

The choice will be difficult for the management as it’s difficult to find a like-for-like replacement for the legendary former Indian skipper. He recently struck form and the Chennai Super Kings would not want to miss his services so early in the tournament. Given they decide to play him only as a batsman, then Rayudu is bound to take the gloves.

Chennai have started off well and barring the defeat to Punjab a few days ago, their team looks well-settled. They’ll next face Rajasthan Royals, the same team who defeated Chennai in the inaugural edition’s final.

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