Mustafizur Rahman might not be playing in the 4th match against SRH as he has to take a visit to his country on account of a visa for the T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by West Indies and the USA.
The T20 World Cup starts on June 2, less than a week after the completion of IPL 2024.
With his cutters and added pace, Mustafizur had made a significant impact on CSK's attack, taking a record-breaking seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.83 and an average of 15.14 in three games. On March 22 at Chepauk, he made his debut against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking four of the seven wickets in ten balls. In the IPL 2024 auction, he is the only player from Bangladesh who has drawn a bid.
Against Sunrisers, CSK may opt for Maheesh Theekshana, a mystery spinner from Sri Lanka, in the absence of Mustafizur. The other international option for CSK is Moeen Ali, an off-spin-bowling all-rounder from England. Due to his absence, CSK may end up splitting up the dangerous pair of Mustafizur and Matheesha Pathirana, who also deliver their best in the death overs.
Having options through your line-up is very important," CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons, said on the eve of their game against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam. "One of the things is having a squad that gives you balance. You can make those sorts of adjustments. If you can't make those adjustments, then you can't utilize the assets that you've got.
But having the batting strength we have, having the allrounders in the top order, that makes a big difference to our balance and what we can achieve. And the fact that they're so different…having a left-arm is important, some of the balls are kind of slow, but what he [Mustafizur] does, and then the uniqueness of Matheesha as well, that's a massive asset. No one likes to face him - our batsmen don't like to face him - so I'm sure the opposition doesn't either.
If CSK wants to replace Mustafizur with a local player, Mukesh Choudhary could have a chance. The Maharashtra left-arm seamer, however, has not played a competitive game since December 2022 due to many injuries. He sustained a rib fracture and a lower back injury toward the end of the IPL 2022 season.
It was a tough time for me, but I'm thankful for CSK for helping me through the recovery process. Now, I'm fully fit and ready to play whenever the team wants me.
~Mukesh told reporters in Chennai earlier this season
I'm working on improving my technique to bowl in the powerplay and death overs, and I feel my pace has improved from what it used to be back in 2022. I've been working on my bowling for the past eight months, and the coaches have told me that they have a plan for me, but now it is about waiting for the opportunity.
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