Daniel Vettori said Deepak Chahar’s absence will be a “huge loss” for the CSK and further believes that the team can only replace the Indian pacer with an overseas bowler. The speculation over Deepak Chahar’s fitness has kept the Chennai Super Kings fans on edge over the past few weeks.

The Indian pacer, who was bought back by the CSK for a whopping amount of INR 14 crore in the IPL mega auction last month, was forced to miss India’s last limited-overs assignment at home against Sri Lanka, where the side registered a 3-0 series win.

It was initially reported that Deepak Chahar is set to miss the first couple of weeks of the tournament; however, there has been no official confirmation for the same. In a discussion, former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, Aakash Chopra, and Wasim Jaffer discussed the issue surrounding Deepak Chahar in detail.

Daniel Vettori Feels Adam Milne Or Chris Jordan Will Get A Game As Overseas Pacers May Replace Deepak Chahar

Daniel Vettori believes that the defending champions can only replace the Indian pacer with an overseas bowler, meaning either Chris Jordan or Adam Milne will play resulting in opening batter Devon Conway’s snub.

“If he does (miss the start of the season), it is going to be a huge loss,” said Daniel Vettori. “I think they will have to reconfigure their overseas bowlers. Adam Milne can get a game.. Chris Jordan as well.”

“Those two overseas bowlers could potentially come in. That would mean someone like Conway misses out and they would have to bring Uthappa in. I don’t think they can replace him with a domestic bowler, they will have to replace him with an international bowler.”

When asked to name one bowler who can replace Deepak Chahar, Daniel Vettori named Adam Milne.

“I think it’d be Adam Milne. His performance has been exceptional around the world. I think Milne could be more destructive, can swing the ball,” said Daniel Vettori.

The 25-year-old opener Ruturaj Gaikwad had to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and joined the ongoing pre-season camp of CSK in Surat on Wednesday (March 16).

Wasim Jaffer Feels MS Dhoni Will Be Giving Confidence To Youngsters While Aakash Chopra Reckons CSK Would Tinker With The Playing XI

Wasim Jaffer believes that MS Dhoni is likely to place his faith on youngsters to fill in for Deepak Chahar.

“I think MS Dhoni will be giving confidence to younger guys. Whether it be Tushar Deshpande or Simranjeet Singh who bowls for Delhi in Powerplay. Mukesh Choudhary bowls at a decent pace,” said Jaffer.

Aakash Chopra, meanwhile, added that it isn’t necessary CSK need to replace Deepak Chahar with a similar wicket-taking bowler up-front.

“If there was a replacement, he wouldn’t have gone on ₹14 crore, so that is as simple as it is. Yes, you’re going to be missing a lot of wickets in Powerplay overs, but is that the only way to succeed in a T20 game? It is an important component, you pick up early wickets and you get a fantastic start. But isn’t there a different formula to succeed? That is what the CSK would be thinking about,” said Aakash.

Deepak Chahar will be available to play the IPL after all. It was learnt that the pacer won’t have to undergo surgery, as suggested initially, following a quadricep tear that he sustained during the limited-overs series against West Indies. It’s understood that the CSK pacer is likely to be fit to play by the middle of April. He is expected to miss the first half of IPL 2022 due to a right quadriceps injury.

Deepak Chahar suffered a hamstring issue during the 3rd T20I against West Indies on February 20. The right-arm pacer was completing the 2nd over of his spell when he stopped midway. Apart from Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu (₹6.75 crores) and Dwayne Bravo (₹4.4 crores) were CSK’s most prized picks at the auction.

Shivam Dube (₹4 crores) and Chris Jordan (₹3.6 crores) were the only other players that cost them more than two crores. CSK had re-signed the likes of Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, and Mitchell Santner.