Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have suffered a huge setback before the upcoming season. The star opener from New Zealand, Devon Conway, will undergo surgery just before the season starts. The injury on his left thumb might prove expensive to him. This surgery will keep him out of action for around eight weeks which practically means he has been ruled out for the next IPL season. Moving further we will look at 3 probable opening pairs that CSK might try after Conway’s exclusion.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra
This is the most predictable opening alternative for CSK. Conway’s compatriot Rachin Ravindra is a like-for-like replacement as he is also a left-handed batter who usually bats in the top order and can open the innings as well. Notably, the young Kiwi batter had a phenomenal campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup as he scored 578 runs in the tournament. This exceptional track record in Indian conditions makes him the perfect replacement alternative for Devon Conway.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane
Now this pair is something that might raise a lot of eyebrows as Ajinkya Rahane is not going through a good phase in his career. But what cannot be overlooked is that he plays for a side that is led by MS Dhoni who is known for his out-of-the-box decisions. Rahane played impressively in the last season for Chennai where he invented a different form of himself. His expressive style caught everyone’s attention and it will not be a big surprise if Dhoni decides to try him as an opener.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sameer Rizvi
CSK made headlines when they bought a young Sameer Rizvi from Uttar Pradesh for a whopping sum of 8.4 crore. Rizvi came into the limelight when he played some explosive knocks in the UP T20. He generally bats in the middle order but opening is not completely alien to him. Batting in the powerplay can give him the freedom that any batter needs to play his shots. We can see a Ruturaj-Rizvi pair opening the innings for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024.