Former India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan on Monday (August 31) said the absence of experienced batsman Suresh Raina will hurt Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the United Arab Emirates.
However, Sivaramakrishnan feels the CSK has still a very good option in England’s young all-rounder Sam Curran to fill the void left by Raina at the set-up, suggesting the three-time IPL champions to promote the English star to the No.3 spot for “useful runs” at the top of the order in the upcoming IPL 2020.
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The CSK has been badly hit by the Coronavirus outbreak with 13 personnel, including two cricketers, tested positive for COVID-19 while Raina’s withdrawn from the IPL 13 due to “personal reasons” made the things even worse from the franchise ahead of the tournament.
Raina has been instrumental in MS Dhoni-led CSK's successful 12-year-long journey in the IPL and is the leading run-getter for the franchise, as well as, in the tournament’s history so far with 5368 runs.
However, CSK chief N Srinivasan wasn’t worried about Raina's absence, but Sivaramakrishnan admitted his absence would hurt the team’s batting order in the IPL 2020, said they can make up with Curran.
Sivaramakrishnan told Times of India: “In T20s, most teams employ leg-spinners to trouble the right-handers. But then, a left-hander could negotiate with leggies easily. So the loss of such an established batsman like Raina would hurt CSK.”
He added, “But they have a utility player in Curran and could send the southpaw up the order. He can bat at No. 3 and give CSK those useful runs. Over the years, we have also seen Dhoni preferring left-arm pacers. Curran can come in handy since he can swing the ball in the air and is a very enthusiastic fielder.”
Noteworthy, Curran made his IPL debut last year with Kings XI Punjab, scoring 95 runs and picked 10 wickets including a hat-trick in nine matches. This season, the all-rounder will be seen in action for the CSK after being picked up by the franchise for INR 5.5 crore at the auction for the IPL 13.
