Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans may finally get to see the star all-rounder Ben Stokes on the pitch at Chepauk on Friday night as he looks fit enough to be playing again. Stokes smashed the bowlers in the nets, a day before the clash vs Sunrisers Hyderabad and looks in good touch too. Stokes had sustained a toe injury due to which he missed three back-to-back games for CSK. Stokes is likely to feature in the playing 11 of CSK vs SRH. Captain MS Dhoni and the leadership group will have to think about the ways to get Stokes in.
Who will Stokes replace in CSK Playing XI?
There are only four overseas players allowed in the playing 11. Devon Conway is a certain starter for CSK as Dhoni does not believe in fixing things which are not broken. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Conway have done a good job opening the innings. Even if either of them were not among runs, Dhoni would not have touched them. They are his best options at the top.
Bright and Bold! Today we March! _#CSKvSRH #WhistlePodu #Yellove _ @benstokes38 pic.twitter.com/fqm0Ip0ehO
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 21, 2023
Matheesha Pathirana (the pacer) and Maheesh Theekshana (the spinner) had good last game vs RCB. They picked 3 wickets among them even if they went for runs at M Chinnaswamy, which has shorter boundaries. That means the only overseas slot left is that of Moeen Ali. Knowing the nature of the CSK track, Moeen’s off-spin could come handy. It will certainly be a sweet headache for Dhoni with Stokes back into reckoning. But this tough call will have to be taken before toss, that will happen at 7 pm IST.
Adil Rashid could play for SRH
It is highly likely that Sunrisers include England leg-spinner Adil Rashid in the playing 11 for CSK. He may come in for Marco Jansen. Rashid is a proven match-winner in this format and on surfaces which might help him, Rashid must play. Chennai has been a spin-friendly track traditionally. Not to forget, Dhoni struggles vs leg spin. Having Rashid in the playing 11 might just do the job for Sunrisers in this match.
CSK vs SRH Predicted Playing 11s
CSK Probable XI: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali/Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Akash Singh
SRH Probable XI: Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (C), Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Washington Sundar, Adil Rashid/Akeal Hosein, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande
