The 17th season of the IPL is all set to start in less than three weeks, with the Chennai Super Kings taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chepauk on March 22.
However, ahead of the start of the tournament, CSK have been dealt a heavy blow as their opener, Devon Conway, has been ruled out of the IPL due to a thumb injury until May. In Conway’s absence, former India opener Aakash Chopra has backed Conway’s teammate Rachin Ravindra to do well for CSK this season.
According to Chopra Ravindra, he can be the MVP for CSK in the upcoming IPL season.
Conway was the leading run scorer for his franchise, as the opener scored 672 runs in 16 matches at an impressive average of 51.69. He scored six and a half centuries in those 16 matches.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that CSK will be fine in Conway’s absence as they have Rachin Ravindra in their line-up.
Aakash Chopra said,I still feel this team will be fine because they will do something and find someone. Here, they had already kept an amazing player in the form of Rachin Ravindra as his (Conway’s) backup. He had a very good World Cup, and he scored runs in Tests as well recently. He is in the form of his life.”
However, if one looks at Ravindra’s stats in t-20 format, they are quite ordinary, as the southpaw has scored 214 runs for blackcaps in 20 t-20 matches at a modest average of 16.46.
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Speaking on the same occasion, Chopra said, However, let’s be fair, his T20 numbers are not good. T20 numbers are not good, and playing for CSK is a good thing. So you might see Rachin Ravindra’s T20 avatar now. With his left-handed opener and left-arm spin, he has all the ingredients to become the most valuable player.”
Dhoni’s yellow army won the previous edition of the IPL, beating the Gujrat Titans in the finals. They will be on the quest to defend their title in this year’s IPL against the other nine teams.
