IPL 2021: Best Predicted Playing XI of Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was one of the most highly competitive seasons. We witnessed the fall of the Chennai Super Kings as the ever-ageing franchise failed to make it to the playoffs. Adding on, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lacked the intent when it came to chasing a total. The fans were dejected by the team’s performance. 

Apart from CSK, every other team had an interesting IPL season. The Kings XI Punjab came from nowhere and ended up defeating the tournament giants. KL Rahul emerged as a leader of the group while Chris Gayle backed him excellently. Mumbai Indians were dominant throughout the season whereas the Delhi Capitals managed to reach the finals for the very first time. 

This year, the fans will be hoping for a better performance from the men in yellow. The management went into the auction to include a few new names in their squad while maintaining their core. The Chennai squad looks stronger than the last season.

Here’s the strongest CSK playing XI after the IPL 2021 Auction:

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad was not a part of the Chennai Squad during the initial phase of the tournament. However, a series of poor performances from the senior members of the squad meant that he got his opportunity. Well, he had a poor start as he was out for a duck during a game against the eventual champions, the Mumbai Indians. During that encounter against Mumbai, the Chennai batting had failed. 

The turnaround for Ruturaj was when he moved on from his failure. Later on, in the five matches, he scored 204 runs for the Super Kings. This meant that he stood up to MS Dhoni’s trust and therefore became the anchor of the CSK batting lineup. With strong performances, he solidified his place in the batting lineup. 

Ruturaj has a strike rate of 120.71 in the IPL. Well, do not let the stats confuse you! This young batsman can score boundaries at will and he can play the role which Mike Hussey used to do for the Chennai Super Kings. It is of no doubt that he will open the innings for the Super Kings this time. Therefore, Ruturaj makes it to this playing eleven!