Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Chennai Super Kings have been handed a major blow ahead of IPL 2022 with their INR 14 crore signing Deepak Chahar likely to be ruled out of the upcoming season. The bowling all-rounder notably suffered a quadricep tear during the 3rd T20I clash against West Indies last month, following which he was sent to National Cricket Academy (NCA) for rehabilitation.
It has been reported that the 29-year-old might need several weeks to recover from the injury which might mean that he won't be able to turn up for the Yellow Army for majority of IPL 2022. In case he is ruled out, here are the 5 players who can replace Deepak Chahar in the Chennai squad.
1. Suresh Raina
Ever since Suresh Raina went unsold in the mega auction, the CSK team management have come under the radar for not bidding for Mr. IPL. The injury to Deepak gives one more opportunity to the franchise to get Chinna Thala back in squad, just in case they have changed their mind following uncountable requests of Yellow Army fans.
2. Sandeep Warrier
The right-arm pacer could be one of the options for CSK, considering the fact that Sandeep Warrier has been playing for Tamil Nadu in domestic circuit since last year. The 30-year-old is an experienced campaigner in domestic circuit and although he is mostly considered as a red-ball bowler, his ability to move the new ball could make him a handy alternative for Dhoni's side in absence of Chahar.
3. Dhawal Kulkarni
If CSK are looking for like-to-like replacement of Deepak Chahar in terms of ability, Dhawal Kulkarni could be an extremely exciting choice. The franchise is known for showing trust in senior players and if the 33-year-old gets some help from MS behind the wickets, he can certainly do the job for CSK with the new ball in IPL 2022.
4. Arzan Nagwaswalla
In case the franchise is looking to add variety into their bowling attack, left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla could also be an interesting option. The 24-year-old travelled with Team India for their 2021 tour of England, suggesting that there is lot of potential in the Surat fast-bowler. It will be interesting to see if CSK takes this very unlikely but exciting alternative going ahead.
5. Ishant Sharma
Chennai Super Kings is a side who backs experience over anything else, which puts Ishant Sharma's name into the scheme of things. The senior pacer was an integral part of MS Dhoni-led Team India in limited-overs cricket and there is a possibility that Thala might want his old wicket-taking weapon back, this time in CSK.