The IPL season 11 is almost knocking the door and the fans are really excited about it. One of the greatest team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is coming back after 2-years ban. The 2 times IPL champion will aim to lift the trophy once again this year. The CSK side has got a good squad with MS Dhoni leading the side again. No doubt that CSK will put troubles for all the team throughout the tournament.
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So here are the 5 players who can open the inning for CSK in the upcoming IPL season:
1) Narayan Jagadeesan
The right-handed batsman from Tamil Nadu has been impressive since his debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy.
He also won the man of the match award. He came to the limelight after an impressive time with bat in the first season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2016.
In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2017-18, he scored 152 runs at an average of 38.00 and a strike rate of 129.91. His batting skills make him an ideal opener in the upcoming IPL season.
Considering the number of openers that CSK have at their disposal, Jagadeesan will in all probability not make it to the CSK XI, however, he could come in handy during the latter stages of the tournament if any of the CSK players face injury or burnout problems.
2) Murali Vijay
The right-handed batsman from Chennai, Murali Vijay, has been a great opening batsman for the Chennai franchise, having also plied his trade successfully with KXIP in the last few seasons.
Considered as primarily a Test player, Vijay has displayed his hitting ability very ably in the T20 format, using his trademark flick to good effect against the quicker bowlers and using his feet against the slower bowlers.
He has done great job while opening for CSK in the previous seasons. He times the ball very well and plays consistent cricket. He was the highest run-getter in the 2010 Champions League in South Africa which CSK won.
He also scored 95 runs off 52 balls in 2011 edition final against RCB which helped CSK to lift the trophy. With such an amazing record while opening, it seems like Vijay could be the first choice opener for the side.
3) Faf du Plessis
The South African Captain, Faf was the first player to be retained by CSK using RTM card.
CSK got him at a reasonable price of Rs 1.6 crore. He has been one of the finest players in IPL who can bat at different positions.
Faf du Plessis has opened several times for CSK before and would like to do the same in the upcoming season, however with Faf not having played the T20 format for long now, especially in that opening slot, CSK could look beyond him with regards to that opening slot.
du Plessis could slot into that number 4 spot, if CSK decide not to go in with Jadhav or Rayudu for that role. if Rayudu isn’t picked, du Plessis could play at 4, with Dhoni at 5 and Jadhav at 6.
4) Shane Watson
The Australian all-rounder, Shane Watson, is a great option for the opening slot. He is an explosive batsman who plays both fast and spin bowling equally well.
He has played numerous T-20 leagues all over the world and has a lot of experience.
Watson had a great time in BBL this year where he scored 331 runs averaging 36.78 at a strike rate of 139.08. He was picked by CSK for Rs 4 crore. Watson has opened the innings several times for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
If CSK have to chose between du Plessis and Watson, they would be tempted to go in with Watson as he could use his cutters to good effect on that slow and sluggish Chepauk track. Also, the fact that he has recently featured in multiple T20 leagues could tilt the tables in his favour.
5) Sam Billings
The wicket-keeper batsman, Sam Billings, is a good player who has a lot of potential. He had a decent BBL season where he scored 156 runs averaging 31.2 at a strike rate of 141.82.
While Billings is a keeper-batsman, he could be deployed as a pure batsman too. Out of all the available foreign options, Billings is possibly the most explosive of them all and could help CSK get those fast starts at the top of the order.
He could prove to be the dark horse in the race to partner Vijay at the top of the order
