Reports: CSK unlikely to name ruled-out Deepak Chahar's replacement

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team management on April 16 (Saturday) hinted that the franchise might not name a replacement for their key all-rounder Deepak Chahar. To note, the defending champions’ premier swing bowler Deepak Chahar was recently ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 edition without playing even a single game owing to the back injury he picked up at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) during his rehabilitation.

The right-arm pacer was purchased for a huge price of INR 14 crore by his franchise in the IPL 2022 mega auction after an immense bidding war. He was expected to lead the bowling attack with the new ball, however, the second-most expensive player in the auction got ruled out of IPL 2022.

Have left it to the team management, they have not come back to us so far: CSK CEO

According to reports, the Yellow Army looked at senior pacer Ishant Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni to replace their star all-rounder. However, CSK decided not to include anyone in their squad.

“We have left it to the team management and they have not come back to us so far. We do not find an Indian bowler of Deepak’s calibre,” franchise CEO Kasi Viswanathan told Cricbuzz.

Talking about Chahar’s numbers in the IPL, the 29-year-old has scalped 59 wickets in 61 games so far in his IPL career since making his debut in 2016, and has an excellent economy rate of 7.80. Chahar’s ability to swing the ball both ways was excellently used by former CSK skipper MS Dhoni. The all-rounder also penned a note on social media recently, expressing his disappointment over missing out on the IPL season this year.

Meanwhile, CSK will take on a strong-looking Gujarat Titans in their next group stage encounter. The match will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, Pune on April 17 (Sunday).