CSK Team 2020 Player List: Full Chennai Super Kings squad For IPL 2020

On March 2nd, MS Dhoni was spotted training with the Indian players associated with Chennai Super Kings in the wee hours of the day. After a sabbatical-kind of an extended break, MS Dhoni is returning much fitter and hopefully hungrier to perform to the best of his abilities.

CSK fans wouldn't want to be reminded of how they were left so tantalizing close from victory, having fallen to a one-run loss against the Mumbai Indians last season, but the excitement of Dhoni's return in yellow should give them a reason to dream again.

With Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, Piyush Chawla, Sai Kishore the latest additions to the CSK player list 2020 through the 2019 IPL Auction, it remains to be seen how Dhoni uses the plethora of all-rounders at his disposal to good effect. For Dhoni, rotation and recovery of players in the CSK squad 2020 will be necessary and the key to their fortunes this season.

List of entire CSK squad

• MS Dhoni (Wicket Keeper/ Batsman)

MS Dhoni

Former India captain and 2011 CWC winner remains as undoubtedly the best bet to captain a talented and well-balanced CSK squad. For Dhoni, redemption is something he would be aiming at after the semi-final run-out against New Zealand in CWC 2019 and a one-run loss at the hands of Mumbai Indians in 2019 IPL final. Three-time IPL champions CSK welcomed their captain to the nets at Chepauk after he had kept away from professional cricket since that infamous defeat against the Kiwis.

Also see – RCB Team

• Ambati Rayadu (Batsman)

Potentially the most talked about cricketer of last year for all the wrong reasons, Ambati Rayudu's roller-coaster year in 2019 made headlines all across the cricketing community. Ignored for selection in last year's CWC in England and Wales, Rayudu will be hoping for a run-fest for in CSK's yellow this season.

• Murali Vijay (Batsman)

An Indian Test format discard, Murali Vijay will have to make the best use of most of the limited opportunity he gets at the top of the order.

• Ruturaj Gaikwad (Batsman)

A consistent performer on the India A tours and in the first-class circuit, Gaikwad is one of the most exciting batting talents in the country.

• Suresh Raina (All-rounder)

Suresh Raina

Former India player, Suresh Raina is one of the most successful IPL run-scorers of all-time. Along with Dhoni, Raina has been another consistent performer over the years for CSK with the bat, ball and on the field.

• Monu Singh (Bowler)

Hailing from Dhoni's home town of Jharkhand, Monu Singh is an exciting pacer who hits the upper half of the speed charts more often than not and can be seen as a surprise inclusion for crucial matches.

• Jagadeesan Narayan (Wicket Keeper/ Batsman)

A successful TNPL 2016 season brought Jagadeesan Narayan to the picture as an explosive hitter of the ball and someone who has decent wicket-keeping skills.

• Asif K M (Bowler)

Australian pacer Jeff Thompson must be credited for recognizing the hidden talent in Asif KM at a camp in Kerala. Asif is known to hit top-speeds consistently without compromising his lines and lengths.

• Dwayne Bravo (Allrounder)

Having returned to the T20I fold for West Indies recently, Dwayne Bravo is one of Dhoni's go-to men during the crucial stages of the game. A big hitter at the death, Bravo also possesses a quality slower ball that deceives the best of batters.

• Faf du Plessis (Batsman)

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis will look to prove his critics wrong in this format of the game and present a strong contention for a place in Proteas' T20 WC squad.

• Karn Sharma (Bowler)

Indian discard Karn Sharma has been a silent assassin as far as his performances in CSK are concerned. The leggie's faster one and the googly are hard to pick and equally hard to score against.

• Kedar Jadhav (All-rounder)

Criticized for his slow strike-rate last season, Kedar Jadhav remains a key batsman in Dhoni's squad and he will be looking to add depth to the side through his off-spin.

• Ravindra Jadeja (All-rounder)

Ravindra Jadeja

Regarded as one of the best fielders of this generation, Jadeja has proved to be a match-winner for both the Indian national team as well as CSK. His all-round abilities provide Dhoni with the flexibility he needs while selecting his playing XI.

• Shane Watson (All-rounder)

For Watson, age has become just a number as his prowess with both the bat and the ball continue to rattle the opposition even at this stage of his career.

• Sam Curran (All-rounder)

After a promising start to his IPL career last year with Kings XI Punjab, Sam Curran can find the change of team a blessing in disguise and one can expect his skills to be used judiciously by Dhoni for important games.

• Deepak Chahar (All-rounder)

After a dream-like start to his international career, Chahar will look to make a comeback to the internal arena once again through his stint with CSK. Only Dhoni's confidence in him will determine the heights to which the talented bowler reaches.

• Harbhajan Singh (Bowler)

A proven war-horse, Singh remains CSK's top off-spinner. However, this time around, Dhoni is expected to use Singh in patches throughout the tournament and giving him proper breaks to recover.

• Imran Tahir (Bowler)

Imran Tahir

Another talented and proven custodian of the art of leg-spin, Imran Tahir brings in an equal amount of talent and excitement to the squad and has found Dhoni's backing for crucial matches.

• Lungisani Ngidi (Bowler)

Undoubtedly South Africa's in-form bowler in T20Is presently, Lungi Ngidi poses a selection headache for MS Dhoni. His tight lengths at the death have been found tough to hit by batsmen across the globe.

• Mitchell Santner (All-rounder)

Yet another player who provides balance with his fielding and ability to contribute with bat and ball, Santner could be a match-winner for CSK. With the ability to float around in the batting order, Santner will undoubtedly be a big part of MS Dhoni's plans.

• Shardul Thakur (All-rounder)

With a decent outing in the limited-over series in New Zealand, Shardul Thakur will be aiming for a top-notch IPL 2020 to strengthen his case for a spot in the T20 WC in Australia later this year.

• Piyush Chawla (Bowler)

With tons of experience in IPL throughout the last decade, Piyush Chawla joins a supremely talented CSK squad to provide depth as well as options. With the importance of leg-spin IPL a known fact, it will be interesting to see how MS Dhoni uses Chawla in IPL 2020.

• Josh Hazlewood (Bowler)

One of the most important bowlers in the Australian team, Josh Hazlewood's line and length will make him a strong contender to bowl in the powerplay if selected as a foreign player in the team.

• R. Sai Kishore (Bowler)

After performing exceptionally well in TNPL for two seasons and post a successful Vijay Hazare Trophy season with Tamil Nadu, R Sai Kishore is another left-arm off-spinner who could make a big impact on turning pitches.

New players added in CSK 2020 Players List

Sam Curran – the backup all-rounder for Dwayne Bravo

Josh Hazlewood – Back-up fast bowler for Lungi Ngidi

Piyush Chawla – extra leg spinner

Sai Kishore – left-arm off-spinner

How the changes in the CSK squad will help them in winning IPL 2020?

With the addition of backup all-rounders, batsmen, and bowlers, the Dhoni-led CSK will have the depth they need to cross the final hurdle in comparison to last year. With the core of the team remaining the same, the additions to the squad have been made keeping in mind any last-minute forced changes due to injuries or tactical changes.

CSK roping in another all-rounder in Sam Curran signals his importance in Dhoni's strategic line-up. Curran's frustrating line to the right handers and tough swinging deliveries to the left-hand batters presents a fine case for his inclusion in the XI. His potential with the bat lower down the order is something Dhoni will like to make full use of at some point in the tournament.

Australia's Josh Hazlewood might not be the best wicket-taking option for Dhoni, but his ability to stem the flow of runs makes him an important part of CSK's bowling arsenal.

With another leg-spinner in Tahir operating in the middle order, Dhoni will be itching to bowl Piyush Chawla in the powerplay overs. His experience of winning the IPL with KKR will make him a strong contender to play in crunch games in the latter half of the tournament.

R Sai Kishore is a product of TNPL and with some T20 experience in the bag, Kishore could prove to be a handful on turning tracks such as the Chepauk.

What to expect from CSK 2020 team in IPL?

With MS Dhoni returning from a sabbatical, rather than an extended break, CSK have a captain raring to lead the side to glory. Unlike other team captains, Dhoni has had quite some time to reflect on the mistakes from last year and rectify them. With four important buys from this auction, CSK fans can expect a fourth title if everything falls in place for the franchise.