"They have not one but two combinations ready well before the IPL season has started" - Irfan Pathan on CSK heading into IPL 2024

Irfan Pathan reckons the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are a formidable unit and have two playing combinations ready heading into IPL 2024.

CSK, with five titles, are the joint-most successful team in IPL history, alongside the Mumbai Indians (MI). They have also reached the knockout stages in 12 of the 14 seasons of the prestigious league they have participated in.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked whether the Chennai Super Kings have strengthened their squad even more with their acquisitions at the auction. He responded:

"In terms of the combination they have, their playing XI is sorted. Apart from the playing XI, they have five or six guys who can actually come and play as well. So their squad is full and their replacements are full.

"If Matheesha Pathirana doesn't start well, they have Mustafizur Rahman. They might even start with Mustafizur. They might have all Indian bowlers and most of the overseas batters as well. So they have not one but two combinations ready well before the IPL season has started," the former India all-rounder added.

CSK acquired Mustafizur Rahman for ₹2 crore at the auction. The potential return of Mukesh Choudhary, who missed the last season due to injury, will further strengthen their bowling lineup.

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"You don't have many Indian batters who can actually replace him" - Irfan Pathan on CSK finding a replacement for Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu played all 16 games for CSK in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Irfan Pathan noted that it was doubtful whether the Chennai Super Kings would find an ideal replacement for Ambati Rayudu. He reasoned:

"We were talking about what the Chennai Super Kings were going to do, especially with Ambati Rayudu, because if a player like Ambati Rayudu goes away, you don't have many Indian batters who can actually replace him."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Daryl Mitchell's acquisition as an overseas batter and Shardul Thakur's purchase as an Indian bowler has made up for Rayudu's absence.

"So what you needed to do was to get Daryl Mitchell, an overseas guy, and get one Indian fast bowler as well. They exactly did the same thing. They got Daryl Mitchell and they got Shardul Thakur also," Pathan stated.

The Chennai-based franchise spent a whopping ₹14 crore to buy Mitchell at the auction last year. They got Shardul relatively cheap at ₹4 crore, considering that the Indian all-rounder was bought by the Delhi Capitals (DC) for ₹10.75 crore, and was subsequently traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the same price.