Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Harbhajan Singh shared his views on who will be the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) trump card, the X-Factor, and their strengths and weaknesses ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, starting on March 31.
When asked how CSK will fair in the IPL 2023, the former CSK star picked Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as his most valuable player for the franchise in the tournament this season.
Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports: “The one person who everyone should keep an eye on is Ravindra Jadeja, especially how he bats for CSK. He may be promoted up the order plus he has his four overs. If you look at it from a world cricket perspective, I don’t think there’s a better all-rounder than him. So, I’m looking forward to seeing Ravindra Jadeja in the IPL.”
He further added, “The X factor for me will be Ravindra Jadeja because he has been very successful in these conditions as a bowler and a batsman, he’s been playing there for so many years. So, for me, he is definitely going to be the X factor for the side.”
Speaking on the strengths of the CSK side and their home advantage, the former spinner said: “The biggest strength of this team is MS Dhoni. He is the heart of the team. He knows the team very well and he is probably the best person to get the most out of each player in the team.”
He added, “CSK’s biggest home advantage is their crowd, the crowd boosts the morale of the team. The CSK crowd is such that even if the team loses or wins they will always back them.”
Harbhajan also named the four overseas players who should be in CSK’s XI in the tournament. He revealed, “Firstly I would select Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali of course, Conway will definitely be in the side, and Theekshana, before Pathirana because Theekshana will be more effective in Chennai.”
The former cricketer signed off by saying “But if the match happens in a place like Mumbai, against Mumbai Indians, then I will select Pathirana because he bowls a lot like Malinga and spin doesn’t play a big factor over there. So, if I have to select the four overseas players it would be Conway, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Theekshana.”
(Star Sports inputs)
