3 reasons why CSK must drop Deepak Chahar from their playing XI

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Deepak Chahar has been a victim of injuries of late. He has been a sporadic member of his franchise so far this season and has found himself in and out of the national side in the recent past as well.

The right-arm bowler missed the entirety of the 2022 edition, where CSK dearly missed his absence and finished ninth in the points table. He played the first three matches of the ongoing season before pulling his hamstring during the win against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.

He was not fit to play across the next set of matches for the team along with Ben Stokes and Sisanda Magala. He returned to the playing XI in CSK's afternoon encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium on Wednesday but looked like a shadow of his former past.

Replacing Akash Singh in the playing XI, he finished with figures of 0-41 on a slow Lucknow surface before the match was abandoned due to rain.

On that note, here are three reasons why CSK must drop Deepak Chahar from their playing XI in IPL 2023.

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#1 He looked rusty on his return to the playing XI

CSK fans were delighted at the prospect of having their marquee bowler return to the playing XI, but they were set up for disappointment.

The pacer got the ball to swing a bit, but could not create the impact that he usually does with the new ball. He bowled three straight overs in his first spell, conceding 21 runs, but the worst was yet to come.

Chahar was handed the responsibility of bowling the penultimate over of the innings and was clobbered by the in-form Ayush Badoni. The youngster scored two sixes and a four as Chahar tried to make the slower, short delivery work.

It was evident that he was bowling after a lengthy layoff and might need more time before he gets back to his best. In the four matches that he has played in IPL 2023 so far, he is yet to pick up a single wicket while his economy rate reads at 10.38.

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#2 CSK have balance and variety in the Akash-Deshpande-Pathirana trio

Several feared CSK's pace bowling fate when Deepak Chahar and Ben Stokes were both ruled out of action.

However, the return of Matheesa Pathirana, coupled with the innate wicket-taking ability of Tushar Deshpande and the variety offered by Akash Singh, kept CSK afloat in times of crisis.

While there were issues surrounding the death overs and Deshpande's economy rate, they looked solid on paper among the options they had and also on the field as well.

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#3 Chahar does not have a good record on slow wickets

Deepak Chahar's best arguably came during the start of the 2021 IPL where he thrived on the fresh quick Wankhede wickets that sported swing and bounce. However, he has the tendency to fade away as the campaign progresses, with the wickets slowing down naturally.

CSK have a run of three consecutive home matches coming up as well, and while the traditional slow Chepauk wickets have not been on the show yet, there is a chance that the four-time champions will head in that direction in a bid to secure qualification.

The pacer has claimed 10 wickets in 10 matches at the M. Chidambaram Stadium at an economy rate of 8.65 so far in his career. CSK might look for a genuine wicket-taker instead of the struggling Deepak Chahar in the upcoming matches.

Will Deepak Chahar feature in CSK's last set of matches in the league stage? Let us know what you think.