IPL 2020: 5 Players CSK might not pick in the Playing XI

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of those teams that like to maintain consistency. Seldom do you see them tinkering around with their Playing XI and MS Dhoni is someone who backs the players he trusts to the core. Hence, cricketers fancy finding a spot in the CSK squad as they get ample of opportunities if they prove their ability. While this is a great thing for some of the players, it isn’t for the others.

With the huge IPL squads that exist, there will be many players who will end up warming the bench for the entire season. This number increases in the case of a team like CSK. The Super Kings have a squad size of 24 for the upcoming season of IPL. Thus, one could expect a few players not making it to the final cut throughout the season.

Here are five players CSK might not pick in the XI for IPL 2020:

1. N Jagadeesan

N Jagadeesan is a highly talented Tamil Nadu cricketer who is another product of the TNPL. At a very young age, he proved his potential and thus managed to make his first-class debut in 2016-17 Ranji season. In his first game itself, he impressed everyone by winning the Man of the Match award.

The 23-year-old was bought by CSK in the IPL 2018 auction at his base price of INR 20 lakhs. Even though he’s been around for some time now, Jagadeesan hasn’t yet played a game for the franchise. There is a good amount of competition for the opening slot in the CSK set-up and thus it is difficult for him to make the final cut. He could be warming the bench in this season as well.

T20 Record

Matches: 22
Innings: 20
Runs: 305
Average: 23.46
S/R: 111.72

2. Karn Sharma

Leg-spinner Karn Sharma has been around with the CSK team for some time now. However, in the last four years, he didn’t play a lot of games. He had a disappointing season in 2018 where he picked up 4 wickets from 6 games and conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.36.

In 2019, he was given just one match where he picked up one wicket but gave away almost 12 runs per over. The Super Kings bought Piyush Chawla at this auction and he is clearly a much better option. Moreover, they have got Imran Tahir in the squad who is another great option. Thus, Karn might have to warm the bench for the entire season.

T20 Record

Matches: 132
Innings: 121
Wickets: 108
Average: 25.77
Economy: 7.46

3. Monu Kumar

Monu Kumar is a cricketer who hails from Ranchi, Jharkhand and has got a good affinity with skipper MS Dhoni. He was a part of the U19 World Cup squad in 2014 and made his T20 debut in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015-16. CSK bought him during the IPL 2018 auction but he hasn’t played a game for the team as yet.

He is a fast-bowler who has got decent numbers in domestic cricket. However, there is still a scope of improvement and he can consider himself lucky that CSK decided to continue with him. Monu can use this season as another learning experience and improve himself as a cricketer.

T20 Record

Matches: 22
Innings: 22
Wickets: 25
Average: 22.00
Economy: 6.90

4. Ruturaj Gaikwad

If you are someone who follows domestic cricket in India closely, you’d have come across Ruturaj Gaikwad. He is one of those emerging talents and has impressed in whatever we have seen of him thus far. The Pune-born cricketer also has been around with the CSK franchise for a while now.

But he is yet to make his IPL debut. Ruturaj has a great List A record where he scored 2345 runs in 51 games at an average of 49 and strike rate of nearly 100. He is still finding his feet in red-ball cricket while his T20 record is fairly good. Ruturaj could be one of those players who the team looks at as a long-term prospect.

T20 Record

Matches: 28
Innings: 28
Runs: 843
Average: 33.72
S/R: 1135.71

5. Murali Vijay

There was a stage when Murali Vijay was the first-choice opener for CSK. He played some wonderful knocks for them in the past. But later, he slowly drifted apart and lost his form. However, he later improved his game and evolved as a reliable opener for India in Tests.

But again, some poor performances led to his axing and he’s been out of the reckoning for a while now. CSK purchased him at the IPL 2018 auction but his opportunities have been limited. In the last two seasons, he played just three games and he is unlikely to get many opportunities in the upcoming season unless there are some injuries.

T20 Record

Matches: 166
Innings: 163
Runs: 4191
Average: 26.52
S/R: 122.79