Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
Chennai Super Kings suffered a significant blow on Wednesday as their most expensive pick for the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League, Deepak Chahar, has suffered a back injury during his rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is set to miss the whole tournament. Earlier, Chahar was supposed to miss the first few weeks after he suffered a quadriceps hamstring injury during the third T20I against the West Indies and was recovering at NCA in Bengaluru.
While there were hopes that Chahar would return to the Chennai squad and rescue his side from a troublesome run in the tournament, new development on his injury has pushed the defending champions on the backfoot. As per a PTI report, CSK was hopeful of Chahar's return. However, this second injury means there is 'no chance of his availability for the tournament's entirety. As the news broke on the internet, several users started brainstorming over Chahar's replacement and interestingly, a few Twitter users also floated Ishant Sharma's name.
The 33-year-old pacer was left unsold during two-day IPL auctions, and last represented Delhi Capitals. While Ishant's age could be a concerning factor for the franchise, his experience of providing crucial wickets in much-needed situations can work well for him. However, Ishant recently made headlines after appearing in the Virtual IPL Guest Box. The Guest Box features fans cheering for their teams from their home. Ishant was wearing a sponsored shirt for RuPay, sitting in front of a plain background. He was part of the box as a promoter of the RuPay company.
In February, the bowling all-rounder had suffered a quadriceps injury during the third T20I against West Indies, walking off the field after failing to complete his spell. Chahar was picked for Rs 14 crore in the mega auction but will miss CSK's chase to defend the title.