Chennai Super Kings go into the IPL 2024 with a shot at the sixth Indian Premier League title as their legendary leader MS Dhoni will be in focus. Dhoni's presence on the field has been nothing short of a blessing for the Yellow Army and they would be thankful for their leader to lead them on the field for yet another year despite battling knee injury last year.
Dhoni vowed that he would consider returning in 2024 depending on the way his body stays and at the age of 42, he is back at his den roaring for more glory in his usual calm being. As Dhoni is ice in the heat of the high-octane cricket tournament, CSK have roped in more New Zealand players, bringing more calma to the franchise as Kiwis players are known as good boys. But where do CSK stand in their title defence?
CSK's squad for IPL 2024:
MS Dhoni (capt, wk), Aravelly Avanish (wk), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Sameer Rizvi
Batting hit, spinners superhit, but what about injuries?
Chennai Super Kings boast a pretty strong batting line-up and an even greater depth in the spin department. Even though Devon Conway is not available until May, the defending champions have enough armoury in their batting line-up. The signing of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell makes things easier for the CSK side. Ravindra can slot in for Conway and open alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Apart from Conway, they have injury issues with Shivam Dube and Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the new season. Dube suffered a side strain and had to miss the knockouts for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and it is not known whether he will be fit in time for the tournament opener on March 22.
As for Pathirana, he will reportedly miss a few matches for CSK as he picked up a hamstring recently in a T20I series against Bangladesh. In Dube's absence, CSK could play Sameer Rizvi, the UP lad on whom CSK sprayed 8.4 crore in the auction. He is a recognised spin player and can lend crucial support in the middle order if Dube is not fit for the start of IPL.
Notably in Pathirana's absence, CSK can go with Mustafizur Rahman and they also have Shardul Thakur returning to the fold back again. CSK also have great depth in the spin department. Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, Moeen Ali, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal and Prashant Solanki provide almost all sorts of variations needed to rattle the opposition line-ups.
What's best CSK XI for IPL 2024?
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman
Impact subs: Tushar Deshpande can be subbed in for Gaikwad when CSK bowl and vice-versa when they bat
