5 players CSK can target in mid-season transfer window of IPL 2020

The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League has been delayed by a few days but the tournament should start soon as the coronavirus situation is coming under control. Just like the last two seasons, Chennai Super Kings will start as the favourites to win the title this year as well because they have a very experienced pool of players in their squad.

The 2011 World Cup-winning captain, MS Dhoni will lead the side which also features likes of Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, Deepak Chahar and several other star players. One of the main issues with Chennai this year is that a majority of their players are on the wrong side of 30s. The players could be prone to injuries hence, CSK may look to trade a few players in the mid-season transfer window.

Here are 5 players CSK can target in the mid-season transfer window of IPL 2020:

1. Josh Philippe

Australia’s wicket-keeper batsman, Josh Philippe earned his maiden IPL contract this year as the Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him at his base price. The 22-year-old received a bid from RCB because of his magnificent performance in the Big Bash League. Playing for Sydney Sixers, Philippe troubled the opposition bowlers with his batting skills.

Talking about his record in T20 cricket, the right-handed batsman has played 32 T20 games where he has amassed 798 runs at an average of 33.25. Philippe has registered seven half-centuries in T20 cricket.

Besides, he has a strike rate of 138.30 in T20s which indicates that he scores runs briskly. As Chennai’s openers are injury-prone and RCB have a lot of overseas resources, it is likely that Josh Philippe may be traded to CSK this year.

2. Chris Lynn 

Another Australian opener who would be present on the wish-list of Chennai Super Kings is the destructive right-handed batsman, Chris Lynn. Surprisingly, none of the franchises except Mumbai Indians bid for him in the auction as the defending champions grabbed him for his base price. The Aussie recently showcased his talent with a magnificent hundred in PSL 2020.

His century helped Lahore Qalandars qualify for the semifinals but still, he may not be the first-choice opener for Mumbai Indians. Lynn will face competition from Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav in the Mumbai squad.

The four overseas players rule will also work against Lynn thus, MI would like to trade him in the mid-season window. Chennai should go after him because he has a splendid record in IPL and they have a dearth of destructive opening batsmen.

3. Tom Banton 

The player who had captured everyone’s attention before IPL 2020 Auction was the English wicket-keeper batsman, Tom Banton. He grabbed the limelight in the Natwest T20 Blast whereas he even performed brilliantly in the succeeding T10 League and Big Bash League. Although he has failed to light up PSL 2020, Banton still remains one of the players to watch out for this year.

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings had shown interest in signing his services ahead of the auction but as he entered the auction in the last rounds, Kolkata Knight Riders managed to get him at his base price.

Just like Mumbai Indians, Kolkata will find it difficult to include Banton in their playing XI thanks to the presence of Pat Cummins, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Eoin Morgan in their squad. Since Chennai had expressed their interest in signing Banton, there is a possibility that they could still get him in the trade window.

4. David Miller

Rajasthan Royals booked themselves in a corner by signing David Miller in IPL Auction 2020. They already had an ample amount of resources in their foreign players’ department while they even had a solid batting line-up. It is unlikely that the team management would drop Steve Smith, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler from their playing XI.

Besides, Jofra Archer’s injury means that Rajasthan will have to include an overseas pacer in their playing XI. Miller is a finisher and CSK may need one good foreign player in the middle order because Kedar Jadhav has lost his golden touch.

MS Dhoni is likely to bat in the top 4 while Sam Curran cannot be backed to play well in every match. Thus, it would be a fantastic decision if CSK ropes in David Miller during the trade window.

5. Virat Singh

The wildcard pick of this is list is the explosive left-handed batsman of Jharkhand, Virat Singh. The upcoming Indian star wreaked havoc in the domestic circuit with his hard-hitting skills whereas he earned a big deal from the Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL Auction 2020. The problem here is that Sunrisers may not have a place for him in their playing XI.

The Orange Army will have Jonny Bairstow, David Warner and Kane Williamson as their top 3. India U-19 captain Priyam Garg will take the number four spot and IPL’s first-ever Indian centurion, Manish Pandey will take the number five position.

The team would have the 18-year-old all-rounder from Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Samad as their finisher with Rashid Khan being the second all-rounder. So, there is no room for Virat. Just like David Miller, he could fit well in the CSK batting lineup. Thus, these are the five players CSK could sign during the mid-season trade window.