Three players who can form the core of Chennai in the next Indian T20 League

When we speak of the Chennai franchise in the Indian T20 League, the first word that comes to mind is consistency. The franchise has been a part of 13 ITL seasons and has played the finals of 9 of them. They have won the title four times which is the second-best to Mumbai. The biggest factor for their continued success over the years has been their ability to retain the majority of the team’s core. This gives the players a definitive idea about the working culture of the franchise and their roles in it.

But the 15^th edition of the Indian 20 League has turned out to be a nightmare for the team. They have lost seven of their 10 matches and have already been eliminated from the race to the top. But they will look to bounce back stronger next season and there will be certain players who will play a major role in that. The team is going through a transition phase and the three players who o could form the core of the team in the coming years are.

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad: The orange cap winner of the 2021 season of the Indian T20 League has not performed according to expectations this year. The ongoing edition of ITL has struggled to get going barring a couple of matches. He has just scored 265 runs in 10 matches in the tournament so far.

But one has to keep in mind the age-old saying that ‘Form is temporary, while class is permanent.’ And there is no doubt whatsoever regarding the class and elegance of Gaikwad. He has impressed everybody with his talents in last year’s ITL and even in the two matches where he scored runs this year, he showcased amazing grace. So, going ahead Ruturaj will become an important part of the team’s core.

2. Mukesh Choudhary: Chennai’s bowling has looked weak in absence of Deepak Chahar this season. They have struggled to properly replacement of the pacer who use to provide them wickets in the powerplays. Only one bowler has looked potent for the team and that is Mukesh Choudhary. While in the initial stages he was being belted by the batters, gradually it seems like he is getting a grip of the big stage atmosphere. In the nine matches that he has played in the tournament, he has picked up 11 wickets. But his economy rate is 9.84, which is not that impressive. Still, with the ability to swing to the new ball and with experience, it can be expected his journey will only be northwards as a bowler. Being a left-arm swing bowler Choudhary can become an important cog in Chennai’s core in the near future.

3. Devon Conway: The New Zealand opener has looked the part of the team in the last two matches. He scored half-centuries in the two matches and was a significant contributor to the team. He belongs to a group of openers like Mike Hussey and Faf du Plessis who has been a significant part of the Chennai team earlier. The Men in Yellow always look for a steady consistent batter as one of their openers. With the departure of Faf, Conway seems to have filled the vacuum. In the next season and probably ahead of that, Conway will be a very important member of the Chennai team.