Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey opened up about the injury issues that the team has been battling ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He said that although the absence of injured players will be massive they have enough depth in the team.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without key players for the start of the IPL 2024. New Zealand Devon Conway along with Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana are nursing injuries and will miss the first few games of the tournament for the defending champions.
This no doubt will hamper the combination of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Devon Conway played a huge role for the team at the top of the order alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, the opening partnership will be broken this time and might cost the team as well.
On the bowling front, Matheesha Pathirana was exceptional with the ball as well. He played a vital role at the death and picked a lot of wickets. He was one of the main reasons why Chennai Super Kings won their 5th title and dominated the entire tournament.
Michael Hussey talked about the injury concerns, saying that they will miss their key players but they are confident about the other players in the team. He believes that they have a good team and can overcome the challenges easily. Speaking during the inauguration of the Pavit Singh Nayar Memorial All India inter-college T20 cricket tournament for men and women at the Guru Nanak College in Chennai, he explained (as quoted by Sportstar):
“Well, of course, they’re world-class players. So, it’s going to be difficult to replace them. But we feel like we’ve got enough depth in the squad to be able to cover it at this stage. But, of course, we’re going to miss them. One, for their skills, but also their character around the team as well.
“So, yes, I mean every team has its injury challenges. You just have to deal with it as best you can. I think we’ve put together a really good squad with a lot of depth. So, I feel like we can cover it well.”
Michael Hussey says Ajinkya Rahane or Rachin Ravindra might move up the order in the absence of Devon Conway
Michael Hussey further stated that Rachin Ravindra will be one of the top picks for the team to open the innings. He believes that the left-hander is similar to Devon Conway.
Michael Hussey also spoke about the possibility of Ajinkya Rahane opening the innings, saying that India’s batter did well last year. He said:
“We’ve got Rachin Ravindra, who’s coming in, who plays a similar style to Devon Conway. There are other options as well. Ajinkya Rahane played so well last year.
“He could also move up the order. So, I’m not sure which way the captain and the coach want to go at this stage. But, as I said, I think we’ve got enough depth to be able to cover it in certain ways.”
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be playing the tournament opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 22nd.
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