CSK might struggle this IPL season if Suresh Raina fails to deliver: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might strain in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) given that a few of their cricketers haven’t had much game time in the middle. In the 2020 season, the Super Kings couldn’t make the IPL playoffs for the maiden time in the history of the championship and would be looking to make amends.

Their first game is against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 10 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chopra feels that most of the CSK’s top performers haven’t had a hit in the middle due to which the team may strain.

“The likes of Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, and MS Dhoni haven’t played either international or competitive cricket. Ravindra Jadeja has been out of action for a while due to injury. So, four out of seven top performers don’t have a good form and competitive cricket game time,” Chopra told in a video on his Facebook page.

Suresh Raina is the critical cog: Aakash Chopra

As per Chopra, Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Faf du Plessis are pretty much certainties in CSK’s lineup. In the auction for the 2021 edition, CSK secured Uthappa’s services at a price of INR 3 crores. In 2020, Gaikwad flourished with the bat and du Plessis didn’t flatter to deceive either.

“They may play Robin Uthappa and Ruturaj Gaikwad who have decent numbers in domestic cricket. Faf du Plessis will also fine. But what about the remaining four. That will be a challenge. Hitting the ground running is a challenge,” he stated.

However, Chopra mentioned that CSK’s fate would depend a lot on Raina’s performance. The latter recently made his comeback to competitive cricket after a gap of around 20 months. Raina is also the leading run-scorer for the Super Kings since making his IPL debut back in 2008.

“I would suggest CSK promote Ravindra Jadeja up the order and let him bat a bit more. MS Dhoni shall play well too. But Raina is the critical cog. If he hits the ground running, CSK will be fine. And if not, CSK, I feel, will struggle this season and that’s not a good thing,” Chopra added.