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Devon Conway (Source-Twitter)
Defending Champions Chennai Super Kings have dealt with a huge blow. Opener Devon Conway has been ruled out of the early part of the upcoming season. It is expected that left-handed batters will be part of the season in the second half.
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This is a huge body blow for the Chennai Super Kings side as Devon Conway is a key member. His partnerships at the top of the order with Ruturaj Gaikwad helped CSK win their fifth IPL title last season.
Chennai Super Kings will begin their season with a game against RCB on the 22nd of March. After this, the defending champions will play Gujarat Titans before two away games against Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Is CSK’s title defence in trouble?
In what is a massive blow for the Chennai Super Kings it has come to light that Devon Conway will be out for 8 weeks. The batter is set to undergo surgery on his left thumb which he had injured during the recent international season.
The New Zealand board put out a tweet which read, “Opener Devon Conway will this week undergo surgery on the left thumb he damaged during the T20I series against Australia. Following several scans and specialist advice, the decision was made to operate on Conway, with a likely recovery period of 8 weeks.”
For now, it is unclear if CSK will seek to replace the Kiwi batter but the team does have opening options. Rachin Ravindra could play as an opener as he excelled in that role during the ODI World Cup 2023.
The next best option is Ajinkya Rahane who has opened the batting for Rajasthan Royals. The veteran batter can form a dream opening stand with Ruturaj Gaikwad during the coming season.
MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming will have a close eye on proceedings as far as Devon Conway is concerned. The defending champions are set to start their training soon to get ready for the new season.
Meanwhile, the playing future of MS Dhoni has again become a topic of discussion. According to his childhood friend, the legendary CSK skipper could defy the odds and play one more season in 2025.