Chennai Super Kings will have to make amends to their forgettable campaign in IPL 2020 by entering the playoffs in the impending season. The management did satisfactory work by adding some ammunition for IPL 2021 at the auctions. However, there are a few CSK players who are not in the best of touch.
After IPL 2020, there were rumours of a mega-auction. However, the event was postponed to next year. This was a major setback for the franchise. A couple of CSK players were supposed to be released, but due to a smaller auction, they were retained for the upcoming edition. We talk about the men in yellow who are not in great form ahead of IPL 2021.
1. Suresh Raina
One man whose form is very important for CSK will be that of Suresh Raina. Mr IPL has been away from the game for a while and was recently part of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This was the only top-level competition that CSK’s No.3 was a member of.
However, Raina had a not so great run in the campaign. His stats read 115 runs from five innings at an average of 34 and a strike-rate of 115.90. Although he started well with a half-century, the player then failed to contribute to his squad. Uttar Pradesh eventually had to finish in the lower half of the table.
2. Ambati Rayudu
Among the CSK players who were part of IPL 2020, Ambati Rayudu came out as one of the better performers. However, going by the looks of the current scenario, the Andhra Pradesh cricketer could get very few chances in IPL 2021.
Rayudu scored 115 runs in 5 innings at an average of 38.33 and strike-rate of 155.40. For a player of his stature, his run-accumulation was poor. His form also did not help his side, which performed miserably as a unit. However, the right-hander had two good knocks to his name and CSK will hope that Rayudu can strike more of those.
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad
The second-highest run-scorer of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2020 was a massive disappointment in the 2021 edition. Especially after the breakthrough season for CSK, where he was amazing, Ruturaj’s numbers in SMAT 2021 were horrible, to say the least.
In five innings, the Maharashtra cricketer could just manage 94 runs. His average was 18.80, and the overall strike-rate was 116.04. The right-hander’s highest score was 33, a knock which came of 31 balls. If he cannot pull his socks quickly, Ruturaj might have to lose his position in the CSK XI.
4. Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis was the best player for CSK in 2021. A lot will ride on the South African’s form at the upcoming campaign. However, at the moment, not all is looking rosy.
This year, Faf has been part of five test innings and was able to just score 63 runs. Yes, it might be a different format, but the confidence level is low. The former Proteas captain played three T20 games in 2021 and scored 71 runs at an average of 23.7. This number is also pretty low.
5. Cheteshwar Pujara
Since Cheteshwar Pujara has not played any T20’s recently, we will have to check his stats as a Test player to see if he is really in good touch. Although impact-wise, India’s No.3 is in good shape, in terms of runs, Pujara fell short in the recent encounters.
In the 10 innings in 2021, the Saurashtra man could accumulate just 341 runs, without scoring a hundred. Batting at No.3, more was expected of the player. Now, switching to the shortest format, the player’s problems could actually increase.
