IPL 2019: Chennai Super Kings' strongest possible playing XI

Shane Watson

Shane Watson

Shane Watson had a memorable debut season with Chennai Super Kings as he scored 555 runs in 15 innings at an average of nearly 40. Who can forget his match-winning century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final of 2018 IPL? Being a retired international, Watson will be available for the whole tournament and that could give him the nod over Faf du Plessis to open the batting with Rayudu.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina

In the 11 seasons he has played so far, Suresh Raina, fondly known as Chinna Thala, has crossed the 350-run mark in a season on nine occasions and with 4985 runs in 176 matches at an average of 34.3, Suresh Raina has rightly got the tag Mr. IPL.

Ever since the start of the IPL, Raina has been the backbone of the Chennai Super Kings batting line-up and has won several matches for them single-handedly. Raina is not a part of the Indian ODI team now and is unlikely to make it to the national side for the World Cup. So, his availability for the whole tournament won't be an issue for MS Dhoni's men and he will continue to bat at number three for the defending champions.