Chennai Super Kings are known for their tendency to trust their players and the ability to extract the best even from relatively unknown players. But even the Chennai based franchise has made a few mistakes over the years and have failed to fully utilize some cricketers. A combination of a retention policy and team balance has resulted in CSK losing some good cricketers to other teams. Here we will look at five such cricketers who should have played more games for CSK.
#5 Sam Billings
Billings’ IPL career was off to a blockbuster start as he scored a vital half-century against KKR at Chepauk in 2018. CSK went on to win a big run chase, and it looked like Sam had a long run ahead of him in a CSK shirt. However, the presence of veterans meant he was never given a clear role and was always used a floater.
Billings is a proper batsman who loves playing orthodox strokes and the role of a floater did not suit him. He just played one game in 2019 before the franchise released him ahead of 2020 IPL. Billings has now evolved his game and is among the England probables for the T-20 World Cup.
#4 Ankit Rajpoot
The lanky pacer from Uttar Pradesh impressed everyone as a teenager and Chennai Super Kings picked him up before the 2013 IPL. Rajpoot played just two games and bowled only 24 balls for CSK, picking up a wicket in the process. CSK released him before the mega auction and he gradually faded away from the scene.
Rajpoot re-emerged in 2017 and picked up a memorable five-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Unfortunately, no team has given him consistent opportunities to prove his talent. He has 101 wickets in T-20 cricket at a solid economy of 7.73.
#3 Jason Holder
Jason Holder played six matches for CSK in 2013 and picked up just 2 wickets albeit in conditions that were tailor-made for spinners. In 2013, Holder was just 22 years old at the time and the buzz surrounding him was due to his incredible calmness and maturity for someone so young. After Chennai Super Kings released him, Holder was appointed the captain of the West Indies cricket team and has not looked back since.
Holder was not seen as a good white-ball player until the 2020 IPL when he impressed with both bat and ball for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Holder could have been a natural replacement for Dwayne Bravo in the CSK setup, but CSK released him ahead of the mega auction.
#2 George Bailey
In his prime, George Bailey was a world-class white ball player who shifted effortlessly between defense and attack depending on the situation. He was part of the CSK squad in 2009 and 2010 but played only four games for the men in yellow. Bailey disappeared from the T-20 arena for three years but made a superb comeback in 2014.
He led the Kings XI Punjab to the final in the 2014 edition, scoring 257 runs at a strike rate of 136. After a horrendous 2016 IPL, Bailey has not got a second chance in the IPL. Bailey could have been used as a backup for Hussey whose strike rate gradually lowered as his career went on.
#1 Chris Morris
Chris Morris joined CSK for the 2013 IPL with the tag of a fearsome fast bowler who can also hit a few big shots. He fulfilled his promise and picked up 15 wickets in the 2013 IPL at a decent economy rate of 8.03. However, CSK had the option of only retaining two players ahead of the 2014 IPL, and they had to let go of Morris.
Since then, Morris has evolved as a proper all-rounder and poses a huge strike rate of 159. CSK could use his services now as they struggle to find a replacement for Dwayne Bravo who is clearly past his prime.
