Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has backed the Chennai Super Kings to reach the playoffs in IPL 2023. The former four-time IPL champions stood second-last on the points table in 2022, and now, with the inclusion of World Cup winner in Ben Stokes, Chopra believes CSK will better their previous result.
Speaking on AakashVani on Jio Cinema, Chopra said the Chennai team revolves around MS Dhoni and a plethora of all-rounders they have at their disposal, and that, their success will be defined by these two only.
“Apart from Dhoni, Chennai is defined by all-rounders. When you look at this team, there are two wicketkeepers – one is Dhoni, and the other is Devon Conway. Devon Conway is a class player,” Chopra said as quoted by Sportskeeda. “If we talk about all-rounders – Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner and Ben Stokes in bold letters, and then two or three more Indian names,” Aakash added.
Sharing his thoughts on Chennai’s chances this season, Chopra opines they look strong on paper, and with matches scheduled to take place at Chepauk, the team can prosper. The former Kolkata Knight Riders opener added that knowing MS Dhoni is back leading the team and that this could potentially be his last season in IPL, wonders are expected to happen.
“They are looking like a very decent team on paper. Where can this team reach? They should reach the playoffs if they play to their potential. Dhoni is the captain, there is an emotional connect, it is the last season, and the matches are going to be played in Chennai, which is their fortress,” Chopra said.
Elaborating on whom he thinks would top the charts in both departments – batting and bowling, given the firepower CSK have, Chopra said the returning Deepak Chahar could be Chennai’s stand-out bowler while New Zealand’s Devon Conway is sure to make headlines with heaps of runs throughout the tournament. While Chahar missed out on playing last year’s IPL due to an injury, he is likely to remain fit and available for this season. Conway, on the other hand, was among the runs for CSK in 2022, hitting 252 runs at an impressive strike rate of 145.67.
“Who can be this team’s highest run-scorer? One of Ruturaj Gaikwad or Devon Conway – I am going with Devon Conway although we don’t know how much the Chennai pitch will suit him. Who can be the highest wicket-taker? I am going with Deepak Chahar,” Chopra said.
Meanwhile, Chennai will open its IPL 2023 campaign against defending champions Gujarat Titans on March 31st at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
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