IPL 2022: 3 Players who can replace Deepak Chahar in CSK’s playing XI

Deepak Chahar was the second most expensive player at the IPL 2022 mega auction as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) shelled out a whopping INR 14 crore. They were very determined while bidding for him. However, Deepak Chahar has some injury issues and might miss the majority of the season. Only a speedy recovery will allow him to take part in the business end of the tournament.

Chahar who had registered himself in the highest base price category of INR 2 crore initiated a fierce bidding contest between Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals before Chennai bid the highest amount of 14 crores. It was during the third T20I between India and West Indies in Kolkata that he suffered a quadricep tear to be ruled out of the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

The medium-pacer has been one of the most consistent performers for the CSK for the last few years. He has been fantastic with the new ball in hand. Deepak has played 63 IPL games and has 59 dismissals to his name. Now, CSK will have to think about replacing him with some other player from the squad. Replacing him will be a tough decision for CSK.

Here we take a look at the possible replacements for Deepak Chahar from the current CSK squad

1. Tushar Deshpande

The CSK franchise is not new for the Mumbai pacer as he was with them as a net bowler in the last season. Tushar Deshpande made his IPL debut for the Delhi Capitals in the 2020 season. He has the ability to click the 140 km/h mark consistently. Tushar has been a nightmare for many batters in the domestic tournaments but he is yet to make his mark against the top batters of the world.

The talented fast bowler can be a superb replacement for Deepak Chahar. Tushar also bowls well with the new ball and has the variations to succeed in the death overs too. As of now, Tushar has played only five games in IPL and has picked three wickets. He is young and very promising. He was impressive when he played for the Delhi Capitals in 2020.

In IPL 2020, the 26-year-old conceded just eight runs while defending 22 in the final over against the Rajasthan Royals. He also dismissed Ben Stokes in that over. He is a regular feature in the mighty Mumbai domestic team and has been a vital cog for them. He was the second-highest wicket-taker for Mumbai at the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

2. Rajvardhan Hangargekar

A solid and sound fast-bowler and a reliable candidate in the lower-order, Rajvardhan Hangargekar played a crucial role in India winning the 2022 U19 World Cup. Just a few days after the final of the tournament, Chennai Super Kings purchased him for 1.5 crores after his brilliance at the World Cup. Hangargekar impressed every cricket fan as well as the experts with his all-round talent.

Just like Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan can also contribute with his bat whenever the team will want him to do that. He is very similar to Deepak Chahar. He has the raw pace as a natural talent with him. He can bowl high-speed balls effortlessly. CSK can offer him to play all the games for them in the 2022 season in the absence of Deepak Chahar.

Hangargekar has shown that he can leave his impact in the games with his bat too. He showcased his big-hitting abilities when he struck three consecutive sixes against Ireland at the World Cup. His contribution was very crucial for the U19 Indian side in West Indies earlier this year. The multi-dimensional cricketer can be an asset for CSK.

3. KM Asif

KM Asif is with the Chennai Super Kings since 2018 but despite being there for four seasons he has played only three games. He is a very talented fast bowler from Kerala. Asif has not played any age-group cricket for Kerala. He was first seen when he made his T20 debut for Kerala in the 2017-18 Zonal T20 league. He has been playing for Kerala since then.

After his brilliant performance in that tournament, he was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL auction for the 2018 season. He earlier used to live in Dubai and had to work in a shop as a storekeeper. He did try to make it to the UAE national team but failed and got rejected. He returned to India to make a cricket career. He is doing well and we will hopefully hear his name very often in the coming years.

KM Asif had replaced Deepak Chahar in the 2018 season too in the playing XI. When Deepak Chahar got injured in 2018, he made his IPL debut for CSK against the Delhi Capitals. His best performance came when he became the joint-highest wicket-taker for Kerala at the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has 14 wickets in seven matches.