IPL 2020: Ranking the teams based on their bench strength

#1 Chennai Super Kings

Dhoni will be looking to lead CSK to their fourth IPL title

Predicted Starting XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur

CSK are likely to play two specialist spinners - likely Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir - in their XI as the Chepauk pitch favours spinners. With capable all-rounders such as Curran and Bravo in their ranks, the only specialist speedsters in the playing XI are expected to be Chahar and Shardul Thakur.

Jagadeesan Narayan was retained by CSK for ₹20 lakh and will act as the reserve wk-batsman in the squad. Murali Vijay is another great backup option in the batting department. The Chennai-born player has played over 100 IPL matches and his experience in the domestic league can come in handy for CSK this time around as well. 23-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad will be another backup batsman for CSK.

CSK have quite a few potent all-rounders in their squad. Jadeja, Curran, and Bravo will likely find a place in the starting XI. Kedar Jadhav is an excellent batting all-rounder for reserve. The right-handed player had a forgettable IPL 2019 as he scored just 162 runs in 14 matches. He will be looking to make amends in whatever opportunities he gets this season.

Mitchell Santner is another capable all-rounder. The Kiwi player impressed in the 4 matches he played for CSK last season and clinched 4 wickets at a great economy rate of 6.71. Monu Singh will be another domestic reserve all-rounder in the team.

Imran Tahir is likely to play a majority of CSK's matches after his stellar performance in IPL 2019 during which he won the Purple cap for his mind-boggling 26 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 6.69 and brilliant strike rate of 14.84.

Chennai would have a fantastic option as Piyush Chawla in their reserves for the spin department. The specialist leg-spinner was roped in for ₹ 6.75 crores and will be the likely replacement for Harbhajan Singh/Tahir in quite a few matches. Karn Sharma and Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore will be the other reserve spinners in the side.

South Africa's Lungisani Ngidi was ruled out of IPL 2019 due to a grade 2 muscle strain. The 23-year-old is a no-nonsense pace bowler who can clock speeds of over 140 kph comfortably. His performance was highly impressive in IPL 2018 and he is likely to come into the playing XI on pace-friendly pitches in IPL 2020.

Josh Hazlewood is another fantastic buy for Chennai and he is known for his immaculate line and length. The New South Wales native adds depth to the bowling department and is another trustworthy option in the team. Meanwhile, KM Asif will act as the backup domestic fast bowler for the Chennai-based franchise.