IPL 2021: Gautam Gambhir names two all-rounders CSK can target in the auction

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the three-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), had a horrendous campaign last time around. The team, captained by MS Dhoni, failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the tournament. Going into the auction, they have the task of filling in the voids after releasing the likes of Shane Watson, Harbhajan Singh, and Kedar Jadhav.

Ahead of the auction, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 18 in Chennai, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir reckons that CSK have retained their core and their Indian batting contingent looks strong.

CSK’s core is still intact: Gambhir

“With the experience of Raina, Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, and MS Dhoni, they have got a strong Indian batting line-up,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports.

Gambhir, who had won two IPL titles with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), believes that the Super Kings could go for K Gowtham as Harbhajan’s replacement. The veteran also suggested Chris Morris as Dwayne Bravo’s backup. Moreover, Gambhir said that CSK could pick Umesh Yadav as a fast-bowling partner of Deepak Chahar.

“Their core is still intact. They have got Ravindra Jadeja, they’ve got Dwayne Bravo who has been there for such a long time. So probably, they will look at someone like K Gowtham as an off-spinner because they have let go of Harbhajan Singh. And a back-up of Bravo, because MS believes a lot in all-rounders with the kind of surface they play on,” Gambhir mentioned.

“Whether Bravo can play all the games and he’s not getting any younger. And at the same time, an Indian seamer, so it could be Umesh Yadav as well. So, once they have Umesh and Deepak Chahar and then they’ve got a backup, for someone like Dwayne Bravo could be Chris Morris and K Gowtham,” he added.

The Super Kings had a torrid time last time around, staying at the bottom half of the points table for a chunk of the tournament. MS Dhoni, their skipper, wasn’t in the best of forms either after making a comeback to competitive cricket after last playing in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester.