Given that these players either did not get sufficient chances or failed when they got one, CSK may be considering dropping these 3 players from their side for the next year.
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CSK have had an unforgettable season. They not only won the title but they did it in style. Chennai defeated SRH 4 times in as many encounters between the two teams in IPL 2018. One can understand that if SRH – the team with the best bowling attack – could not get be the better off Chennai, how good the team must have been.
MS Dhoni too contributed with truckload of runs and his vintage form of captaincy which set the IPL alight. They had some stellar performances with each of Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson and MS Dhoni scoring over 400 runs.
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In the bowling department, the new ball pair of Lungi Ngidi and Deepak Chahar shone through. Even Sharul Thakur became a much improved bowler as the season progressed.
However there were some players who either did not get sufficient chances or failed when they got one. CSK may be considering dropping the following 3 players from their side for the next year:
Imran Tahir
In the 6 matches that Imran Tahir played, he picked up 6 wickets for the side. However, the main problem is that he conceded a lot of runs and went for over 9 runs an over.
With his age approaching 40, Tahir is a lose link in the field as well. What goes against him is that CSK already have Karn Sharma who is also a leg spinner and almost similar to Tahir. In such a case, it is very hard to choose Tahir which also eats up one overseas option of the side.
Mark Wood
Mark Wood was the other young bowler apart from Lungi Ngidi in the CSK squad. Interestingly, he was more experienced than Ngidi and naturally preferred over the Protea pacer.
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However in the only match that Wood played, he conceded 49 runs in his four overs and did not pick up a wicket as well. Wood then returned to England to play County cricket. As it turned out, it was Ngidi who gradually became CSK’s lead pacer.
Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay returned to CSK with a lot of pomp and show. It was touted as the homecoming for one of the veteran Chennai players. However, the reality proved to be a far cry from the notion.
Like Wood, Murali Vijay too got just one opportunity in which he failed, managing to score only 10 runs. Unfortunately, he did not get his second game and kept warming the benches for the entire season.
