IPL 2019: Predicting Chennai Super Kings' best XI

IPL 2019 is approaching quickly, with just about 45 days remaining for the start of the season. Most of the teams would be planning their moves and plans already. And this time, the teams will have to be very clever in forming their strategies as they will be juggling between the elections and the World Cup 2019.

All the team managements might have already framed a rough probable team that wcould take the field in their respective opening matches. On that note, here is a look at what the probable XI would be for the Chennai Super Kings when they take the field in their first match.

Openers

The openers for the defending champions would likely be the same as last year. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu laid some solid foundations for the team in the 2018 edition of the IPL.

They will be backed as the opening pair this year as well, and the management would be expecting more good starts from them.

Higher middle order

One wicket down will be Mr. IPL himself, Suresh Raina. Raina, who is not a part of the Indian side anymore, would like to put up another impressive IPL season this year to get back into the international reckoning.

Raina is the highest run-scorer in this history of the IPL, but he will have to add at least 500-odd runs to catch the eye of the national selectors again. As far as CSK is concerned though, this is his spot alone.

Get past the first two wickets of the CSK line-up and MS Dhoni waits for you. Dhoni, the captain of the men in yellow, will come in at no.4. And of course, he will also keep wickets.

Last year Dhoni scored bucketloads of runs, finishing games like the vintage Dhoni we have all known for the longest time now. He is nearing retirement age, but his game is nowhere near someone who is going to retire soon. He is still among the fittest in the world, with the same quickness behind the stumps as well.

Lower middle order

Next in line are the three all-rounders: Kedar Jadhav at No. 5, Dwayne Bravo at No. 6 and Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7. These three are all very good batsmen, quality bowlers and gun fielders.

All three are runaway match-winners too. In fact, all the players listed until now are runaway match-winners, and that is what makes CSK such a champion team.

Bowlers

Till No. 7, the team is easy to pick. But from No. 8, it gets very tough - because CSK have various options to choose from.

At No. 8, David Willey might get a nod, mainly because he can also bat. Willey can increase the batting depth of the team, and he will also add 4 potential overs of bowling to the already available 16 overs by Watson, Jadhav, Bravo and Jadeja.

That's not to forget that Raina can also roll his arm. So good is the balance of CSK that they can play 3 players short and still have 20+ overs and 7 proper batsmen.

At No. 9 and No. 10, CSK might bring in two Indian pacers - Deepak Chahar and Mohit Sharma. Mohit could possibly be replaced by Shardul Thakur, but Chahar is almost a certainty in the initial matches because of his performance last year.

Now at No. 11, CSK would like to have another spinner to round out the squad. With 5 pace bowling options and just 3 spinning options, CSK would like to give the 4th overseas slot to Imran Tahir.

This way, CSK would have only 2 players who won't be bowling in any match - Dhoni and Rayudu. With such great balance and variations at their disposal, CSK can put together a very strong all-round team, which would be in prime position to defend their title.