IPL 2020: 3 things we learnt from CSK's interest in Tom Banton

According to a report by The Daily Mail, Chennai Super Kings has enquired with Somerset about the availability of their opening wicket-keeper batsman, Tom Banton, for the next IPL season. Therefore, it looks likely that the yellow franchise could target him at the 2020 auction.

Along with CSK, their rivals Mumbai Indians have reportedly enquired about Banton's availability for the upcoming season. Although it looks like only these two teams are interested in the youngster, others could have their eyes on him as well.

Banton is just 20 years old and is already on the radar of top IPL teams. Generally, it takes something special for a young overseas player to attract such interest from major IPL teams.

Besides having the attention of these IPL franchises, the youngster also has BBL and T10 League contracts in his bag. This article particularly tries to decipher the reason behind CSK's interest in the youngster despite their policy of selecting experience over youth.

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#3 The form of their openers is bothering them

Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson (Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPLT20.COM)

None of the CSK openers have performed consistently in the 2019 season. The overseas opening pair of Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson did not do proper justice for their roles. While they did perform well at times, their best performances were just a handful.

Watson notched up 555 runs in the 2018 season, but during the 2019 IPL, he scored just 398 runs. The Australian opener got many single-digit scores in IPL 2019, which became the main reason for CSK's struggle at the top.

The same was the case with Du Plessis, who had a handful of good performances, and many below-average ones. Ambati Rayudu, their Indian opener who top-scored in the 2018 season, was unable to replicate his form from the previous year.

Therefore, CSK's interest in Tom Banton shows that they are looking for a good opening batsman going forward. It is unclear what fate awaits Watto or Du Plessis, but a new overseas opener is definitely on the wishlist of the Super Kings.

#2 Banton could attract quite some attention in the auction

Tom Banton

Grabbing CSK's attention is not as easy as it seems to be. Over the years, the Yellow franchise had been very consistent with their management of the squad; they don't make many changes between seasons.

Even if a particular player has been the talk of the town, the 2018 IPL champions have not targeted that player unnecessarily. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming once made it clear that the team prefers to have match-winners with trophy-winning capabilities over promising young talents.

Making it to the franchise's wishlist means that Banton has achieved significant status as far as T20 cricket is concerned. The right-hander is the second-highest run-scorer of the 2019 Vitality Blast, with 549 runs in 13 innings at an average of 42.23 and a strike rate of 161.47.

When the 2020 IPL arrives, Banton would have the experience of playing in the Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat and would also have plied his trade for the Qalandars in the T10 League. Therefore, he could be a hot commodity in the impending auction.

#1 Squad restructuring is on CSK's mind

CSK Dugout (Image Courtesy: BCCI/IPLT20.COM)

Amidst the IPL franchises that generally try to combine and balance in-form veterans and talented youngsters side by side, the only party that prefers experience over youth is CSK. The previous two seasons, in particular, have seen a CSK squad filled with aged veterans.

However, times are changing, and as a successful IPL team, CSK needs to adapt to the future. Their star performers are likely to retire one after another shortly. In the worst-case scenario, a possible mass exodus could leave them in a fix. Therefore, the Yellow Army is possibly looking towards the next batch of recruits.

"We do understand that we are an aging team. So at some point, we just have to look at recreating the side," said Stephen Fleming after the 2019 IPL finals.

Their interest in Tom Banton, along with Fleming's above-quoted statement, shows that the team is looking at their future. Are they planning to release some of their aged players to build around youngsters? It is too soon to say, but that could very well be the case.