CSK likely XI vs LSG, IPL 2023: After starting the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on a disappointing note, MS Dhoni‘s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will search for their first win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Chepauk on Monday. CSK endured a tough five-wicket defeat against Gujarat Giants in the season opener despite piling a staggering 178/7 on the board while batting first. Gujarat in response chased down the total with four balls to spare.
Following the outcome, Dhoni felt that batters could have done better and going by the platform Ruturaj Gaikwad laid there should be no disagreement. The CSK skipper also mentioned “it’s important for the youngsters to step in” and the management will hope for an improved show heading into their second game.
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Going by what happened in the first match, there should be a couple of changes in the playing XI, also with Chepauk having a reputation of assisting spinners, CSK might field just two seamers and bring someone like Dwaine Pretorius as one of their Impact Player.
There shouldn’t be any tweak at the top and fans would expect another explosive show by Gaikwad. The CSK opener scored 92 off 50 balls, which featured four boundaries and nine maximums.
The middle-order too could remain the same and the only change that we might see is Shivam Dube’s name missing from the XI. Dube chipped in with 19 in the previous match against Gujarat but consumed 18 balls for it and management could bring in senior pro Ajinkya Rahane in the middle-order.
Another change that we might see is Tushar Pande, who conceded 52 runs in the 3.2 overs he bowled.
Here is how CSK predicted XI could look against LSG:
Openers: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad
Middle Order: Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk&c)
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner
Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Impact player: While CSK might not opt for a substitute given the depth they have in their batting department, the franchise can use Simarjeet Singh as an Impact Player. He can prove to be a handy addition in bowling and come as a replacement for Ben Stokes, who won’t be bowling because of his recent knee injury.
Simarjeet can be a lethal weapon on the Chepauk track if he can mix his cutters and slower ones, while also surprising batters with some pace and bounce. Also he can become the third seamer.
CSK full squad: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Subhranshu Senapati, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Theekshana, Prashant Solanki, Deepak Chahar, Akash Singh, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Ben Stokes, Sisanda Magala, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma
