Daryl Mitchell Slotted In For Thala's Last Dance; CSK's Best Playing XI For IPL 2024
MS Dhoni might have a last dance in IPL 2024 (x.com)
Going into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, Chennai Super Kings had INR 31.4 crores in their purse with six slots to be filled. They got the likes of Rachin Ravindra (INR 1.8 crore) and Shardul Thakur (INR 4 crore), both at less than 6 crores.
Shardul Thakur will don the role of the bowling all-rounder. Getting him at just 4 crores was a steal. They still had a lot of money left in their purse after making those two acquisitions and they decided to go after Daryl Mitchell, whom they bought for INR 14 crore.
To replace Ambati Rayudu, they have invested in Sameer Rizvi at a hefty sum of INR 8.4 crore. Rizvi is a destructive middle-order batter, who is also labelled as the right-handed Suresh Raina by his team members of UP. He has 295 runs to his name in T20 cricket career at a strike rate of 134.7. He can play the role of the enforcer in the middle-order for CSK if the opportunity arises.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how their playing XI will look like in IPL 2024. In this article, we have tried to compile the best playing XI of CSK for next season.
Top order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, and Ajinkya Rahane
The opening duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway has proved to be successful for CSK and they should continue to persist with the same opening pair.
Needless to say, Ajinkya Rahane was a revelation for CSK, last season. He donned the CSK jersey and showed a completely different side of him. In 14 matches, he scored 326 runs at an astounding strike rate of 172.49. CSK should persist him at the number three slot.
Middle-order: Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Jadeja, MS Dhoni
Daryl Mitchell will add the fire-power in the middle-order, followed by Shivam Dube, who impressed one and all with his power-hitting last season. Dube tore apart the spin attack but should be wary of bouncers. The duo will be followed by two veterans in the side, namely Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni.
Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Mukesh Chaudhary
CSK is likely to play one between Moeen Ali and Shardul Thakur based on the conditions. The former remains the ideal choice at home in Chepauk. Tushar Deshpande picked the most wickets for CSK last season, however, it won’t be easy to bench Mukesh Chaudhary, who played a significant role for them with the ball in the 2022 season.
Besides, he brings that variety with the left-arm angle. Deepak Chahar should take care of the powerplay overs, while bowling in the middle and death overs will be taken care of by Matheesa Pathirana, who claimed 19 wickets last season in just 12 games at an economy of just 8.
Sri Lankan spinner, Maheesh Theekshana should take care of the spin duties alongside Ravindra Jadeja. The former was brilliant last season, especially in home conditions,
Chennai Super Kings Best Playing XI For IPL 2024
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Devon Conway ✈️
Ajinkya Rahane
Daryl Mitchell ✈️
Shivam Dube
Ravindra Jadeja
MS Dhoni
Shardul Thakur
Maheesh Theekshana ✈️
Matheesha Pathirana ✈️
Mukesh Chaudhary