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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match number 29 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, April 21. CSK have had a decent run in the T20 league so far, winning three of their five matches.
They got the better of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by eight runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in their last game. Batting first, CSK put up an impressive 226/6 on the board as Devon Conway top-scored with 83(45), while Shivam Dube smashed 52 off 27.
While the Super Kings ultimately successfully defended the total, Glenn Maxwell (76 off 36) and Faf du Plessis (62 off 33) did give them a scare, featuring a whirlwind century stand for the third wicket.
Since CSK’s bowlers were put under pressure by RCB, they might look to make some changes to their bowling line-up.
We pick three reasons why left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner should make a comeback for the match against SRH.
#1 Maheesh Theekshana has looked out of sorts
Sri Lankan off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana has been part of CSK’s playing XI for the last two matches, but he has failed to make any kind of impact.
Against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), he went for 42 runs in his four overs without claiming a wicket. He did not look threatening, even as the other spinners in the team, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali, made an impact.
Against RCB, Theekshana was expensive once again. This time, he conceded 41 runs in four overs, claiming one wicket. He got the big scalp of Maxwell, but his overall performance was still disappointing, even keeping the stats aside.
Apart from his lackluster bowling, Theekshana has been poor in the field as well. The 22-year-old was part of the Sri Lankan T20I squad during their tour of New Zealand. As such, she shouldn’t be rusty. But Theekshana just looks a bit out of sync at the moment.
#2 CSK should make good use of Santner’s form
Before Chennai shifted their attention to Theekshana, Mitchell Santner did a very good job for the franchise. He claimed three wickets in as many matches while keeping things tight.
In the team’s first match against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, he went wicketless but gave away only 32 runs in his four overs.
The Kiwi left-arm spinner also made a huge impact in the 12-run win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In a game where batters from both sides dominated and the teams notched up totals in excess of 200, Santner stood out with figures of 1/21 in his four overs. He got the wicket of Deepak Hooda and stifled the LSG's batting lineup as they failed to chase down 218.
Ironically, his best performance for CSK in the ongoing IPL edition came in his last match before he was left out of the playing XI. Santner registered figures of 2/28 in four overs in the game against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The New Zealand spinner got the scalps of Suryakumar Yadav and Arshad Khan in a highly impressive spell.
Following the performance, Santner did not deserve to be left out of the team. However, one could understand why CSK went for Theekshana ahead of him.
Not only does the Lankan have the X factor, but he also made a big impact last season. But Chennai would do well to bring Santner back into the thick of the action.
#3 He forms a good combination with Jadeja
Although both Jadeja and Santner are left-arm spinners, they formed a very good combination for the franchise in the games that they played together.
Both bowlers like to keep things extremely tight by bowling good lines and lengths. They complement each other nicely and have been rewarded suitably for their efforts.
While Theekshana is a genuine wicket-taker, Jadeja and Santner, as a pair, have the ability to stifle opposition batters from both ends, frustrating them into playing poor strokes.
Given his talent, Theekshana will definitely have a role to play for CSK in IPL 2023. However, on current form, Santner seems to be the better choice between the two.
