Picture Credit: Twitter/@ICC/@BBL
With the remainder of IPL 2021 set to be played in September in UAE, all the franchises have been forced to put on their thinking hats ahead of the restart. England Cricket Board (ECB) have already hinted at the possible unavailability of their international players for this season due to their busy calendar. While all the franchises are going to get affected, it is going to have a huge impact on the Chennai Super Kings, who have two English starters in their playing XI in the form of Moeen Ali and Sam Curran.
Sam Curran has been one of the integral parts of this rejuvenated CSK side. The 23-year-old has a special ability to change the course of the match with both bat and ball. While he had a strike rate of 208 this season, he also had 9 wickets in 7 matches to his name. The unavailability of Curran will certainly force the franchise to re-look at their strategy and come up with potential replacements accordingly.
With a like-to-like replacement in the form of Dwayne Bravo already within their ranks, MS Dhoni's side might be tempted to bring either an outright pacer who can ball quick or someone who can solve their death bowling woes, something which the franchise will be looking forward to going into the second half of the season. Let us have a look at players who can do this role for CSK:
1. Mitchell McClenaghan
The former Mumbai Indians pacer is a proven bowler in the Indian Premier League, having taken 71 wickets in 56 matches in the tournament. Mitchell McClenaghan is quite an aggressive bowler who has a unique ability to pick wickets. The left-arm fast bowler can ball quick and can give a different dimension to the CSK pace attack. MS Dhoni's side thrives on showing trust in the experienced players and the 34-year-old could is someone who could be on their radar for the remainder of the season.
2. Oshane Thomas
The West Indies fast bowler has a special skill in his armoury which is sheer pace. Oshane Thomas can consistently bowl at speeds over 140 kmph which the other bowlers in the CSK lack. With pitches in UAE expected to be slow and sluggish, the 24-year-old can prove to be a game-changer for the side. The Jamaican is also someone who can swing the ball up front with the new ball and could be a perfect partner for Deepak Chahar in the powerplay.
3. Ben Dwarshuis
The Aussie pacer could be the solution to CSK's death bowling issues. Ben Dwarshuis is a proven T20 specialist and had a brilliant BBL 10 season, taking 24 wickets in only 13 matches for Sydney Sixers. The left-arm pacer can bowl yorkers at will and also has a deceptive slower one which can prove to be very useful for the franchise, who are looking to improve their death-bowling in the remainder of the season.