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After sustaining a hamstring injury in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) last month, Deepak Chahar returned to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) starting eleven last week.
The 30-year-old returned to action against the Lucknow Super Giants earlier this month. He looked evidently rusty in that contest which was eventually washed out due to rain, conceding 41 runs from his four overs.
However, Chahar seems to be finding his best form once again. Although he isn't at full fitness yet, he has performed well in the last two games. He bowled three overs in each of those games, with figures of 2/18 against Mumbai and 2/28 against the Delhi Capitals (DC), helping CSK to crucial wins.
The medium pacer's return to form bodes well for the four-time champions as they head into the decisive stages of the tournament.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why Deepak Chahar's return to form is a huge boost for the Chennai Super Kings:
#1 Chahar has to be the leader of this bowling attack
In the last couple of seasons, Chennai have relied on their youth bowlers to do the job for them. The MS Dhoni factor usually takes the headlines with the young bowlers learning and flourishing under the guidance of their captain.
With the spinners usually being their lethal weapon in the middle overs, the pace attack is rather inexperienced at the highest level with the likes of Tushar Deshpande and Matheesha Pathirana.
So, it will be up to Deepak Chahar to be the leader of this pace unit, playing a significant role with his experience.
#2 Lethal with the new ball
Wickets in the powerplay have been an area that CSK have looked to address in recent times. Deshpande has been doing a decent job with Akash Singh filling in admirably but neither provides the kind of threat with the new ball that Chahar does.
With Pathirana excelling in his role at the backend of the innings, the team has an option of overloading Chahar's overs in the first half of the innings, where he is usually most effective. It's a ploy that Dhoni has used successfully over the years and could continue to do so.
#3 Can provide some batting depth
The Super Kings as a batting unit are stacked up well enough to take advantage of most matchups that come their way.
With their top and middle order doing most of the damage this season, their finishers have yet to hit their stride and get a real go in this tournament.
Regardless of that, the team has bought into the approach of batting with a constant attacking intent. Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja haven't been at their best either, so the medium pacer wielding his willow could prove to be quite useful for the side.
