Playing 11 of CSK 2022: CSK Probable Playing 11 2022 after Moeen Ali visa issue

Playing 11 of CSK 2022: The defending champions will be all but without a couple of first-choice players in IPL 2022 season opener.

Indian Premier League defending champions Chennai Super Kings have been handed a massive blow ahead of the 15th season’s opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26.

Already without pacer Deepak Chahar for a large part of IPL 2022, CSK will also have to manage the absence of all-rounder Moeen Ali, at least for the first match.

Ali, 34, continues to be in the UK after failing to obtain the necessary visa requirement to travel to India according to ESPNcricinfo. With all players needed to undergo a mandatory three-day quarantine period upon entering the IPL bio-bubble, it is almost impossible for Ali to take the field at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

Playing 11 of CSK 2022

Bought for his base price of INR 1 crore for the first time in the IPL, New Zealand batter Devon Conway could benefit from Ali’s unavailability. An apt top-order replacement for the Englishman, Conway can both open the innings or bat at No. 3 to form a strong top-order with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa.

Middle-order remains the least of Chennai’s concerns as batter Ambati Rayudu, all-rounders Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni automatically pick themselves. Expect Dhoni to persist with the same middle-order throughout the season until one out of Rayudu or Dube doesn’t perform at all.

Barring any injury or workload concerns, veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is another name who will be a regular part of Super Kings’ Playing XI this season.

ALSO READ: CSK record at Wankhede Stadium IPL matches

In Chahar’s absence, the remaining three bowling options are the ones which will require their team management to ponder vociferously. While one out of Rajvardhan Hangargekar (can also contribute with the bat like Chahar), KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande or Simarjeet Singh can replace Chahar, Super Kings also need to make a decision on their remaining two overseas bowlers.

One option is to play both their overseas fast bowlers in Chris Jordan and Adam Milne and replace Chahar with spinner Prashant Solanki. With the cushion of Ali’s off-spin no more available for the first match, playing a second spinner (other than Jadeja) is imperative.

Having said that, assuming that Ali will return by the second or third match, Solanki might have to sit out again. In what isn’t a long-term solution and will affect the number of fast bowlers as well, CSK should ideally play an Indian pacer, one out of Jordan or Milne and Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana as their second spinner and fourth overseas player.

With not many batters having faced Theekshana in the past, Dhoni could experiment with a mystery spinner card first up in IPL 2022.

CSK Probable Playing 11 2022 vs KKR

1) Ruturaj Gaikwad 2) Devon Conway 3) Robin Uthappa 4) Ambati Rayudu 5) Shivam Dube 6) Ravindra Jadeja (c) 7) MS Dhoni (wk) 8) Dwayne Bravo 9) Rajvardhan Hangargekar 10) Chris Jordan 11) Maheesh Theekshana