IPL 2022 | Match 62 | CSK vs GT | Have CSK found their new Mike Hussey?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be facing Gujarat Titans (GT) in the ‘Match 62’ of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. While CSK has already been eliminated from the tournament, they will be fighting for their dignity and respect in their remaining matches.

Before the contest starts, we will be looking at a soldier of the Yellow Army, Devon Conway.

CSK has been known to back a regular opener in their team since the inception of the IPL. In the coveted tournament, names like Brendon McCullum, Matthew Hayden, and Michael Hussey have taken the field for the Men in Yellow. Among these players, Michael Hussey served the longest for CSK. He used to give those composed and solid starts to the team on which the power hitter later consolidated.

Mike Hussey for CSK: Hussey played 64 matches for CSK during his IPL career. In these matches, he scored 2213 runs at a strike rate of 122.80. But what signifies his contribution to the team is his average of 40.98, which is excellent given the volatility of the T20 format.

He was the consistent anchor for the team around whom the rest of the CSK batting revolved.

As Mike Hussey bid farewell to the game, CSK rested the onus of giving them a solid start on players like Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, and Faf du Plessis. 

After releasing Faf du Plessis, CSK snapped up Devon Conway from New Zealand for INR 1 Cr.

Even before coming into the team. Conway became a talking point because of his consistency in the international arena.

Devon Conway’s International career: Devon Conway is one of those rare players with a 50+ average in all formats of the game. While in the T20 format, he scores run at a strike rate of 139.3 and an average of 50.2. 

His addition to the CSK team was looked upon as an attempt to fill the void left by the departure of Faf du Plessis. However, Devon Conway is just a late bloomer like Mike Hussey and has been essential for CSK in the last few games.

Devon Conway in IPL 2022: Experts conveyed that Conway will be the ideal partner for Ruturaj Gaikwad. But he failed to impress in his first outing for the team. 

He just scored three runs off eight deliveries in the first match against KKR. After this, CSK decided to drop him from the playing eleven and visibly struggled in getting good starts as Gaikwad was also struggling with his form.

Conway left the camp mid-season and rejoined a few days later. After this, CSK brought him back into the playing eleven, and he proved his worth.

Vs SRH (Match 46): Devin Conway scored 85 runs in 55 balls on his return to the final eleven. He stitched an epic partnership of 182 runs for the opening wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad (99 of 57). Chennai emerged victorious on the back of a solid foundation laid by the openers.

Vs RCB (Match 49): CSK was chasing a target of 174 runs in the match. In this match also, the opening stand scored 54 runs. Conway scored 56 runs in the game off 37 balls. Unfortunately, the middle order could not build on the foundation, and CSK fell short of the target by 13 runs.

Vs DC (Match 55): Gaikwad and Conway gave CSK a great start, scoring 110 runs for the opening stand. Conway scored 87 runs off 49 balls, and CSK posted a total of 208 runs. The Men in Yellow won the match by 91 runs.

Vs MI (Match 59): An unfortunate incident saw Conway get dismissed for a golden duck in the match. CSK ended on the losing side and got eliminated from the tournament.

Observation: Barring the first match and the unfortunate incident against MI, Conway has scored 228 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 150+ and a staggering RPI of 76. Besides his form, he provided the much-needed solidity at the top of the CSK batting order.

In his presence, Gaikwad has also looked like a different player. The two average 116 runs for the opening stand were Barring the first match. Devon Conway looks like a bright prospect for the CSK team in the future. Being a left-handed batter and with the stability, he is bringing in the CSK batting order, he looks like a Michael Hussey version 2.0.