Ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League Season 15, the Chennai Super Kings camp faced a major influx after their star Deepak Chahar suffered an injury during the third T20I against West Indies last month. The pacer pulled his hamstring to bowl during the match and had to be taken off-field.
Chahar was later ruled out of the Sri Lanka series and is now set to miss out on a major chunk of IPL 15. There is also a possibility that the right-arm fast bowler may not take part in the entire tournament.
Chahar is undergoing rehabilitation for his injury at NCA, Bengaluru and a status report on his availability for the tournament is expected soon. If Chahar is ruled out of IPL 15, CSK will be forced to look for a replacement who can possibly lead their pace attack.
With most of the bowlers already signed by other franchises, here’s a look at the options that could potentially replace Chahar for CSK
Ishant Sharma
With 93 IPL matches experience under his belt, pacer Ishant Sharma could very well be the replacement for Chahar. Ishant’s age at 33 may be a concern for the franchise but CSK are known to get the best out of experienced players. Ishant’s equation of playing under skipper MS Dhoni could also strengthen his case. The lanky pacer was a part of Delhi Capitals last season, however, went unsold in the mega auction for IPL 15.
Sandeep Warrier
Sandeep Warrier, who was part of Kolkata Knight Riders, made his international debut for India in July 2021 last season. However, in the IPL mega auction, none of the franchises showed much interest in getting the Kerala pacer. Although Warrior does not have much IPL experience, he has impressive numbers in domestic T20 tournaments. Warrior took 59 wickets in 63 T20 matches with an economy rate of over 7 and an average of 27.59.
Dhawal Kulkarni
Another seasoned campaigner Dhawal Kulkarni went unsold in the IPL auction last year. Kulkarni, one of the leading bowlers for Rajasthan Royals, did not get enough matches in the last few seasons after being picked by Mumbai Indians. Their experience of over 90 IPL games can help lead CSK’s bowling attack while guiding young duos like KM Asif and Tushar Deshpande, who have been picked by the team.
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