CSK got some very good players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2024. The defending champions released Ben Stokes from the squad and got a lot of purse in the process. With that amount, they got some very good players from the auction like Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, and others. They have a good combination of players who could form a good playing XI in the season.

Top order

At the top, CSK has some anchors. With the matches mostly being played at Chepauk, the focus of the teams would be on the bowling of CSK. That is where the likes of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad find themselves with not a huge pressure to perform. The two openers are alike and complement each other. While Conway can fire in the middle overs, Gaikwad went bonkers at the top in 2023.

The duo is likely to play in a similar way in the IPL 2024. They have some very exciting talents like Rachin Ravindra, Shaik Rasheed, and Sameer Rizvi as top-order batters to replace the duo. It gives them a lot of options to look forward to. They can all bat at number 3 as well. But for the sake of the team combination, CSK is likely to play Rahane at number 3 in the IPL 2024.

The experienced batter had an impactful season with the bat in 2023. Rahane batted like never before with an aggressive intent and helped CSK to win matches with his presence in the XI. CSK have many other aggressive batters to follow them. Hence, in the top order, they can afford to have an anchor like Conway and others to bat around him. It leads to a solid top order.

Middle-order

After the top order, CSK has some explosive batters to follow. Ambati Rayudu was good for CSK in the last 5 seasons. They needed a replacement for him and ended up getting a better player in Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwi batter is a sure starter in the lineup of CSK and would be looking forward to making the most of the opportunities. He had a stellar batting season in the ODI World Cup 2023.

To follow him would be Shivam Dube, who has been brilliant as a batter since joining CSK. Dube would be pushing harder to perform this time around, given the fact that he did not get many opportunities in India. To be relevant in the selection process of the T20 World Cup 2024, Dube must be able to have another great season. It only benefits CSK who could reap rewards from his performances.

At number 6, Ravindra Jadeja will have a task cut out. In the last couple of seasons, he has been struggling with the bat in the limited-overs formats. His batting will be tested yet again but will have all the backing from the management and the man himself, MS Dhoni, who would be looking forward to bringing the Midas touch he always has on players. He would bat at number 7 in CSK.

Lower order

In the lower order, CSK will have genuine bowlers. In fact, in the middle order, they already have Jadeja who can bowl. They also have Dube and Mitchell who can offer medium-pace bowling, although it would not be necessary given the impact player rule. With the new ball, Deepak Chahar will be handy. To assist him would be the likes of Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande.

Deshpande would be the impact player who can be useful with the new ball. He can go expensive but do the job of picking wickets at the top. Even Shardul can do the job in the slow conditions of Chennai. In the middle overs phase, Chennai have the luxury of quality economical spinners like Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana. Even Matheesha Pathirana can do the job with his pace bowling.

For deathovers, CSK have to find a way to get a backup for Pathirana. They do have Theekshana who can be handy with his carrom ball and variations. But one can watch out for Mustafizur Rahman, who can be at his best under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He might not be in the starting XI due to the OS rule. That would ask the Indian pacer like Tushar, Deepak, and Shardul to handle death bowling in the first few matches.

Here’s the starting XI of CSK in the IPL 2024 –

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur

Impact player: Tushar Deshpande