Ms Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings are all set to kick off their IPL 2024 campaign against Faf Du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22. They are the reigning champions, having lifted the trophy last year against the Gujarat Titans. CSK have won the IPL five times and are the joint most successful team alongside the Mumbai Indians. Other than these two, the Kolkata Knight Riders have lifted the trophy two times, in 2012 and 2014.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be captaining the Super Kings probably for one last time in the IPL 2024. However, MSD being MSD, you never know if this year’s IPL will be his last or not. He has a knack of surprising the fans just when they start wondering whether this IPL will be his final one or not.
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CSK bought a total of six players at the 2024 IPL auction, namely, Shardul Thakur (4 crore rupees), Rachin Ravindra (1.8 crore rupees), Daryl Mitchell (14 crore rupees), Mustafizur Rahman (2 crore rupees), Sameer Rizvi (8.40 crore rupees), and Avanish Rao Aravelly (20 lakh rupees).
The Men in Yellow, though, are all set to miss the services of opener Devon Conway until May, as he has been ruled out due to a thumb injury that made him miss the Australia test series. CSK will also be without the services of Mustafizur Rahman and Matheesha Pathirana for the first few matches as they are nursing their respective injuries. This article will provide detailed information regarding Chennai’s strongest playing 11 against RCB.
Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2024: Top Order
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra will be seen opening the batting with each other in the opening match of IPL 2024 against RCB. Gaikwad scored 590 runs in 16 games at an average of 42.14 last season. Gaikwad has been a consistent run getter for Chennai since he joined the franchise in the 2021 IPL. He is also being reportedly groomed as the next skipper of CSK after the retirement of MS Dhoni.
Rachin Ravindra will be making his IPL debut with CSK in 2024. He has piled up a ton of runs for New Zealand ever since making his debut for the Black Caps. He scored 578 runs for the Black Caps in the 2023 ODI World Cup in 10 games at an average of 64.22. In the three match T20i series between New Zealand and Australia, the 23-year-old got 145 runs next to his name in two games, which goes on to show his ability to adapt well to different formats.
Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane will be batting at number three for CSK against RCB. He played a key role in Chennai’s title-winning season last year, as he showed the world a completely different avatar of himself when he played shots fearlessly at a massive strike rate of 172.49. He managed to get 326 runs in the IPL 2023, and he would be looking to contribute once again for the Men in Yellow in the IPL 2024.
Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2024: Middle Order
One of Daryl Mitchell or Moeen Ali will be seen playing the role of the specialist foreign all-rounder. Ali has played a really key role for the franchise since IPL 2021. His spin bowling abilities have rescued CSK from a lot of critical situations, and he will be seen doing the same once again this season.
Daryl Mitchell was bought by CSK in the 2024 IPL auction for a whopping 14 crore rupees. His ability to play strokes fearlessly and his medium-paced bowling will help CSK a lot, and he can play a key role for the Chennai-based franchise this season.
The number five position will be occupied by Shivam Dube. He scored 418 runs in IPL 2023 at a brilliant strike rate of 158.33. He mostly played the role of a pure batter in the IPL 2023, but against Afghanistan in the three-match T20i series, he was used as a proper all-rounder. Once again, this year Shivam will be playing an important role in CSK’s success in IPL 2024.
Ravindra Jadeja will be the main spin bowling all-rounder for CSK in IPL 2024, and he will be occupying the number six position in the batting order. Jadeja has been scoring a lot of runs with the bat in recent times. He scored more than 200 runs with the bat in the test series and dismissed batters 19 times, which shows he’s in good form. He also hit the winning runs for CSK in the final of IPL 2023, and he will be looking to do the same once again in IPL 2024
Chennai’s legendary captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will come out to bat at number seven. He will be donning the wicket-keeping gloves and will also be playing the role of the finisher. He scored runs last year at a huge strike rate of 180, and fans will be expecting him to do the same once again in IPL 2024.
Check: CSK vs RCB Head-to-Head Records and Full Stats Analysis
Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2024: Lower Order
The lower order will consist of the likes of Maheesh Theekshna, Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Choudhary, and Deepak Chahar.
Theekshana will be playing as the third overseas player for CSK against RCB. He has been a blessing in disguise for the franchise ever since he was bought for 70 lakh rupees in IPL 2022. His quick finger spin bowling brought a complete new dimension to the bowling unit of CSK as he picked up 12 and 11 wickets in IPL 2022 and IPL 2023. Dhoni used him intelligently with the new ball and in the death overs as well, and the Sri Lankan spinner delivered perfectly in both situations. He will be MSD’s go-to man for wickets in IPL 2024.
Shardul Thakur was repurchased by CSK for 4 crore rupees in the 2024 IPL auction, and the CSK management gladly welcomed him back to the franchise. His all-round skills will help MS Dhoni and company a lot, and his batting at number eight lengthens Chennai’s batting order. He recently scored a century against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy 2024.
Deepak Chahar will be occupying the number nine position in the CSK batting order. He missed the entire IPL 2022 due to a back injury, and he missed six matches in IPL 2023. Despite missing six games, he participated in 10 matches, picking up 13 scalps with a best figure of 3-22.
Deepak also made a comeback to the Indian Cricket Team recently, and even though he missed the white ball games against South Africa due to the illness of his father, the seamer will look forward to getting featured in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad with a strong performance in IPL 2024. His ability to swing the new ball gives MS Dhoni the assurance of picking up wickets early on in the powerplay. The 31-year-old will be forming a new ball partnership with Mukesh Choudhary in the IPL 2024.
Mukesh Choudhary made his IPL debut with CSK in 2022. He shined with 16 wickets next to his name in 13 games at an economy rate of 9.32, with the best figures of 4-46. He missed the entire IPL 2023 due to a back injury, but he will be looking to make a strong comeback in IPL 2024.
Mukesh has the ability to swing the ball both ways, and he can form a lethal bowling partnership with Deepak Chahar. MSD used Mukesh Choudhary intelligently with the new ball in IPL 2022, and he will be expected to do the same in IPL 2024 as well.
Impact Substitutes
Tushar Deshpande, Sameer Rizvi, Prashant Solanki
Read: RCB playing 11 for the game against CSK prediction
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