(Cricket news) After a disappointing last season CSK will be looking to bounce back. Their first game is against defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium. CSK have lost their auction buy Kyle Jamieson for the whole season through injury and they have replaced him with South African bowler Sisanda Magala. The other injury concern is Mukesh Choudhary who was a key part of the team last season. He is yet to be declared fit and could miss most or all of the IPL season due to a back injury which is a massive blow for Chennai Super Kings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will once again lead the side while Ravindra Jadeja is back to his best.

CSK ideal playing XI:

Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad & Devon Conway

Ruturaj Gaikwad hasn’t been able to break into the Indian side despite multiple opportunities, now he will be looking to make a case for himself this season. Devon Conway will be the player who will look to make the most of the powerplay. He can also keep wickets if MS Dhoni misses a match. Ben Stokes can also open the batting while Ajinkya Rahane is also a good option.

Middle order: Ben Stokes & Ambati Rayudu

CSK’s big money buy Ben Stokes will be the X factor for this team. The Englishman is nursing a knee injury hence he will not be able to bowl in the first few matches but that shouldn’t stop him from being in the playing XI. Ambati Rayudu will also be very important in the line-up as a senior batter. Shivam Dube is an option who can come in as a middle order batter who can bowl seam as well.

All-rounders: Moeen Ali & Ravindra Jadeja

CSK’s two spin bowling all-rounders will be very crucial. The line-up will change a lot and these two can bat anywhere. They are both left handed which makes their roles all the more important. Jadeja is likely to bowl a lot more than Moeen Ali especially after Ben Stokes is fit enough to bowl again. There are other allrounder options like Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius and Mitchell Santner.

Wicket keeper: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

CSK’s captain, leader and legend could be playing the IPL for the very last time. The challenge for him as usual will be to get match fit as this is the only competition he plays. He may even miss a couple of games here and there to manage his workload. Conway can keep wickets in his absence while Ben Stokes is a very good captaincy option.

Seamers: Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande & Simarjeet Singh

Deepak Chahar missed the entire last season due to an injury but he is back now. The bowler is the most senior bowler seamer in the team and he will be looking to get early wickets. Mukesh Choudhary is a big miss and CSK will be hoping that he gets fit before the end of the season. Tushar Deshpande and Simarjeet Singh showed glimpses of their quality last season but this season they will have more responsibility.

Spinner: Maheesh Theekshana

CSK’s mystery spinner will miss the first few games because of national duty but once Theekshana returns he will walk into this lineup. Mitchell Santner is a very good option to play in his place but CSk could change the combination to fit in Dwaine Pretorius.

Bench: Subhranshu Senapati, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Prashant Solanki, Ajinkya Rahane, Sheikh Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.

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