IPL 2018: CSK coach speaks about Dhoni's promotion and Santner's replacement

What's the story?

With just a few days to go before the start of IPL 2018, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming gave a few insights into the team's game plans as they return to the tournament after a two-year hiatus. Fleming admitted that the team is in no hurry to announce a replacement for injured New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner and added that MS Dhoni will bat higher up the order.

Speaking of Santner's replacement, Fleming said: "It's not a necessity straightaway. It's nice to have an option for later if we have any injury concerns to other players during the tournament."

"MS will bat relatively high. It's not necessarily a position with him, but a time that we may choose depending on what conditions we see. But he will definitely play a more prominent role as a batsman. We've picked Jadhav, Rayudu, Jadeja & Bravo so we can plan the middle phase."

In case you didn't know...

Mitchell Santner, who was bought for 50 lakh by CSK in the IPL Auction 2018, was ruled out of the Test series against England and could miss up to nine months of action after suffering a knee injury.

The heart of the matter

CSK have plenty of options in the spin department, with Ravindra Jadeja already being a like-for-like replacement for the injured Kiwi all-rounder. They also have plenty of depth in the middle-order, where they have plenty of experience and talented youngsters.

The only real question is about the two openers and Fleming admitted that they are not sure about the opening combination yet and added the "overall condition" will decide it. Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Sam Billings, Ambati Rayudu and Dhruv Shorey can all open the innings.

What's next?

CSK begin their IPL 2018 campaign against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Saturday (April 7).

Author's take

CSK have plenty of options in the spin department and in terms of all-rounders so it makes sense that they are not rushing into naming a replacement for Santner. As far as Dhoni's batting position is concerned, both the player and the coach know what can bring the best out of the Indian wicketkeeper, who still has plenty left in the tank. The opening conundrum is a slight concern for CSK, especially with the injury cloud over Faf.

Our tournament homepage has IPL live score, Match Analysis, Detailed Stats, Fantasy Tips, Controversies, Match Predictions and much more. Bookmark it now!