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What is Chennai Super Kings’ best batting lineup? | Discussing what CSK’s top 7 should be in their quest for the IPL 2020 Title

Chennai Super Kings started their IPL 2020 campaign with a last-over win over the Mumbai Indians in the season opener. In their next assignment against Rajasthan Royals, chasing a total of 217 at the iconic Sharjah, they didn’t make a brisk start and that resulted in wickets in quick succession.

Chasing a big total, all eyes were on MS Dhoni.

However, Dhoni again baffled everyone when he promoted the likes of Sam Curran and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of him. Dhoni came in at 7 and when he launched sixes, it was already too late for CSK. This move also caught an eye of many former cricketers, most notably Gautam Gambhir, questioning his batting position and approach. MS himself said after the match that lack of match practice since the World Cup Semi Final and to try new things in the early stage of the tournament made him take that decision.

What this suggests is that CSK is still trying to find their perfect combination. So, let’s take a look at what could be CSK’s best top 7 to best enable them to pick up their fourth IPL Title:

1. Shane Watson

The dynamic opener is a vital cog in the CSK batting lineup. When on song, Watson can be as destructive as anyone. The experience of Watson and his ability to clear the ropes will makes him the best option for the opening slot.

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad

The 23-year-old sensation, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who didn’t feature in a single game before IPL 2020, was retained by the franchise and that suggests that they’re investing in him.

And Ruturaj’s record for his domestic team Maharashtra and India A suggests why they did so. With Murali Vijay not firing at the top, this gives him a chance to showcase his talent. The promising top-order batsman has the skill to build the innings and switch gears when the situation demands, making him an ideal choice to partner Watson at the top.

3. Faf du Plessis

After Raina pulled out of this edition of the IPL, the question was who’ll play his role in the team, i.e. who’ll bat at 3. Dhoni decided to go with Faf at 3 and it seems like Faf is enjoying this role as he has started the tournament with a bang: two consecutive half-centuries in two games.

Faf is the best suited to play the role of an anchor in this team as he has done this for his country in the past. The thing with Faf is he adapts to the situations and conditions well and then decides his tempo accordingly.

4. Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu started his journey with the franchise as an opener and now he has made the number 4 position his own. Rayudu has the game to bat anywhere in the batting order. He’s a very valuable player to this batting line-up, especially with tracks expected to be on the slower side in the later phase of the tournament. Before the start of this season, he accumulated 502 runs batting in the middle overs with an average of 41.83 coming at a strike rate of 125.19.

Rayudu’s part in the middle order will hold a key to CSK’s trophy hunt this year.

5. MS Dhoni

There were some questions raised when he came into bat at 7 in the game vs RR. With age not by his side, MS needs to bat higher up the order and 5 is the position where he should be batting. His numbers suggest the same. While batting at 5, his average is over 50 (50.08) and he strikes at 145.87 with 11 half-centuries to his name. The Thala of CSK will be playing as a floater like he has been doing since the last two years, his batting number will depend more on the number of overs left in an innings and the match situation.

Why MS Dhoni shouldn’t bat at 7:

• He takes his time before going after the bowlers, so batting at 7 will mean he has to go from ball one which obviously is a difficult task for any batsman.
• MSD will have more responsibility on his shoulders in absence of his trusted lieutenant Suresh Raina. Batting higher up the order will give him the desired opportunity to take his time early on and finishing up things in his style.

6. Kedar Jadhav

Not a big Striker of the ball, but MSD’s one of the most trusted players, Kedar Jadhav is one who’s very good at finding the gaps. He’s a very Street smart player, can play those cheeky shots, and can accumulate runs at a healthy strike-rate. With the top order already filled, Kedar has to find a way to score runs at 6. This isn’t new to him as he has batted at 6 for India as well, the format was different but his role was the same.

7. Ravindra Jadeja/Sam Curran

If CSK choose Jadeja or Curran for the top 7, the selected player will be the only left-hander in the top 7. With Raina not there, it’s most likely that MS might use either as a pinch hitter (as we saw with Curran), but again it all depends on the situations. Also, in the nets, Jadeja was particularly working on his ball-striking, preparing himself to face the minimum number of balls in an innings and to play a good hand with the bat. So, CSK have options here.

Another toss-up will be between Bravo and Curran. Bravo, who’s been their proven performer in the past, and Curran who already has impressed many with his all-round skills. Bravo of late has found to be guilty of scoring at a low strike rate with the bat in death overs whereas Curran’s addition has given the cushion to MSD and Jadeja.

To further strengthen their batting line-up, they can swap in Tahir for Lungi Ngidi, so that Shardul Thakur can come in place of Piyush Chawla. Shardul provides something extra with the bat. On some occasions, he has shown his potential with the bat for CSK and for the Indian team as well.

So, for CSK to go far in IPL 2020, they will need to nail down their batting lineup. Given Dhoni’s experience and know-how, you expect him to.

Written by Vaibhav Tripathi. Follow Vaibhav on Twitter today.