7 Players CSK Must Target For the 14th Edition of the League

With the tournament being conducted behind closed doors and virtual noises being played to offer a unique experience to the fans, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was one of its kind. As the date of the 14th edition of the IPL is not fixed yet, the teams that failed to make it to the playoffs should look for players who can make a mark on the tournament.

With an ageing squad, the team that is in desperate need of change is Chennai Super Kings. As such, cricketbettingtips.io takes a look at seven players the Chennai-based franchise must target for the 14th edition of the league. For cricket fans who are interested in placing wagers on the sport, our site offers the best cricket betting tips and guides that can help you in improving your chances of winning.

Martin Guptill

Currently, one of the major concerns for CSK is the lack of explosive batsman. With Ruturaj Gaikwad establishing himself as the next big thing in the CSK squad – scoring 204 runs in 6 matches at an average of 51.00, the management of the Chennai-based franchise should look for someone who can perform freely with the bat during the powerplay, and Guptill could be their choice. A fantastic century in Australia in 2016 and the amazing 180* against South Africa in 2017 are some of the stroke makers recent emphatic statements. With a strike rate of 134.61, Guptill is one of New Zealand’s greatest openers in the T20 format.

A right-handed opening batsman, Martin Guptill has been one of the consistent features of New Zealand’s batting in white-ball cricket over the years. A mystifying stroke maker by design, Guptill is a very difficult batsman to stop when in the flow because of his ability to deal with the pacers as well as spinners. Also, he is a member of the elite group of players who hold the record for scoring a double-century in the ODI format. However, his IPL career over the years showcases that he was not the first option as an opener for the team he played.

Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc has been an integral part of Australia’s attack for over a decade now. Starc burst onto the scene in the early 2009/10 season and was soon compared with Mitchell Johnson. The only similarity between the two though was that they both were left-arm quick bowlers. Johnson, with his sling action, relied more on pace and bounce, whereas Starc with his upright action depended more on deadly yorkers.

CSK is a team that has always looked to strengthen their spin department. But their strategy backfired this year due to a change in playing conditions. As such, the management of CSK must look forward to including a pace bowler who can bowl over 150 kmph at a consistent rate and Mitchell Starc seems to be the best name available for them. In the 20-over format, Mitchell has an average of 19.49 and an economy rate of 6.91.

Adil Rashid

There’s no doubt that young spinners in England always make headlines if they’re able to take wickets. And when it’s a young spinner of Pakistani extraction, brought up in Yorkshire, the hype gets magnified. Adil Rashid, the player who above all symbolized Yorkshire’s growing success, is ranked at number 7 in the ICC T20I bowler’s rankings. But, as with many other international players, Rashid has consistently missed out on the most competitive T20 league – the IPL.

In 49 T20Is, Rashid has taken 49 wickets at an economy rate of 7.64. This shows that he can be the perfect replacement for Imran Tahir, as MS Dhoni likes to control the field with spin heavy attacks. Given the fact that Rashid has many varieties in his bowling skills, he and Jadeja can be the perfect spin duo for the kings. As the management of CSK looks to make changes in the ageing squad, Rashid can be the top contender for them in the upcoming mega auction.

Colin Munro

There’s no dearth of quality all-rounders in the New Zealand squad and Colin Munro is one of those talented batsmen. The fact that he was not picked by any of the IPL teams in the auction might come as a surprise to most cricket fans. However, the all-rounder might be useful for CSK which is entering a transition phase ahead of IPL 2021. The Kiwi can help the Chennai-based team to post a good score on the scoreboard, and if he has the ability to score a big hundred if he manages to be on the crease till the 15th over.

A strike rate of 156.44 shows that Munro is one of the most destructive batsmen in the shortest format of the game, but with just 13 IPL games over the past few years, he has clearly been overlooked and ignored. Munro is also a part of the list of elite players to produce multiple T20I hundreds and with the presence of young gun Ruturaj at the other end, Munro can be used at crucial instances during the gameplay.

Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey – a name that will forever be remembered as the first Indian to score a century in the IPL – an unbeaten 114 off 73 balls which propelled the Royal Challengers Bangalore into the knockouts of the 2009 edition of the IPL. Pandey was picked by Mumbai Indians in the inaugural edition of the IPL, and he represented the Challengers in 2009 and 2010. The right-handed batsman donned the purple and golden jersey from 2014 to 2017. After KKR released him, Pandey was signed by the Sunrisers in 2018.

Given his underwhelming performance in the 13th edition of the IPL, Pandey might end his ties with SRH next season. If that happens, CSK might want to make sure that he is a part of the new squad in IPL 2021. In his 13 years IPL career that spans over 146 matches, Pandey has amassed 3268 runs at an average of 29.70 and strike rate of 121.68.

Dinesh Kartik

Dinesh Karthik is one of the many wicket keepers tried out by India before the arrival of MS Dhoni. Nevertheless, in the limited opportunities, he has had in the Indian team, Karthik has performed quite well with the bat as well as behind the stumps. When it comes to the IPL, he was picked by Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural edition. Though he managed to score well in the inaugural edition and its following seasons, his best IPL season came in 2018 when he was chosen to lead KKR.

Time and again, Dinesh Karthik has expressed his love for CSK. And as KKR won’t retain him in the next season, it would be ideal for CSK management to draft him into the team.

K Gowtham

K Gowtham was not used by Kings XI Punjab in the 13th edition of the IPL. Keeping his high-price tag in mind, KXIP might release him ahead of IPL 2021 mega auctions. If that happens, CSK might want to target him for IPL 2021.

With loads of T20 experience, Gowtham is a decent off-spinner and can be a destructive batsman in the lower middle-order. This makes him one of the batsmen who can solve CSK’s strike-rate problems in the upcoming season.