IPL 2019: 3 Players who can replace David Willey in CSK

The Chennai Super Kings are currently ranked second on the points table with two wins under their belt in as many games, so far. They first defeated Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in an impressive fashion and then thumped the Delhi Capitals in their own backyard. The CSK squad consists of 17 Indian players in addition to the originally 8 International players for this IPL before England’s David Willey decided to pull out of the event.

Willey, who had first delayed his arrival to India for IPL-12, as he awaited the birth of his second child, eventually terminated his plans of playing the tournament this year. The CSK’s team management is yet to announce Willey’s replacement, but it is expected that they might rope in an overseas player in the next couple of days. After analysing the players who can potentially replace David Willey, these are the 3 players who we think are strong contenders for the spot:

Sheldon Cottrell

The well-built Jamaican, known for his raw pace and unique celebration style, could be a good replacement for David Willey. As CSK has enough firepower in the batting department and more than enough all-rounders in the ranks, having a few specialist bowlers to accompany them is the order of the day, and Sheldon Cottrell, unlike the all-rounder David Willey, is just that.

Cottrell’s bowling stats in the T20 format are quite impressive, as he has scalped 115 wickets in this format across the 79 domestic and international matches he has played. Being a strike-bowler, who bowls in the death overs frequently, Sheldon’s career economy-rate of around 7.7 is nothing short of phenomenal. His overall strike-rate of 14.48 and average of 18.56 only suggest that CSK should well ring up the Jamaican.

Chris Jordan

This Barbados-born English bowler can also be a part of MSD’s gang of boys, as he has got everything it takes to run in and bowl some rippers with the yellow jersey on, in the IPL. Jordan has a decent pace and can consistently bowl at 140 km/h and above, that could potentially make him the fastest overseas bowler in that Chennai Super Kings squad, as Lungi Ngidi is already out, while Bravo and Watson are slightly on the slower side.

The 30-year-old is quite experienced in T20 cricket, with 186 games, both domestic and international, under his belt. In these 186 games, Jordan has claimed 199 wickets at 8.43 runs per over. He averages a shade over 26 and has a strike-rate of 18.51. In addition to these bowling numbers, Chris also has scored 1000 runs in the T20 format, his highest score being 45 not out.

Dale Steyn

The South African legend, who dominated world cricket for years together with his fierce pace and swing, till a few years ago, can also be considered by the Chennai Super Kings to serve them this season in absence of David Willey. The mighty pacer hasn’t been at his best in recent years. As a result, he got ignored by team owners during the IPL auction in December last year.

Dale Steyn, due to his experience and past records, might be in the radar of the CSK’s team management this time around. In the 243 T20 matches that Steyn has featured in, he has taken 288 wickets. Moreover, his mind-blowing economy-rate of 6.7, average of 24.68 and strike-rate of 22.09, only help in strengthening his case for a Chennai Super Kings’ berth.

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