Devon Conway is set to be ruled out for a major part of IPL 2024 due to a thumb injury. Here is how CSK could replace the opener in their XI.

The New Zealand opener injured his thumb during the second T20I against Australia last month, causing a fracture for which he will undergo surgery. Expected to be out of action for at least eight weeks, Conway is all set to miss a majority of IPL 2024, which starts on March 22 and will run till the end of May.

An integral part of Chennai Super Kings’ squad in the last two seasons, Conway has formed a fruitful combination with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order. In his first season (2022), he scored 252 runs from seven games at 145.7, while last year, he racked up 672 runs from 15 games, striking at 139.7, including a Player of the Match performance in the rain-hit final against Gujarat Titans.

As per the reports from @ESPNcricinfo, Devon Conway is expected to be sidelined for at least the initial portion of the IPL following surgery on his fractured left thumb.

A big blow for Chennai Super Kings.#DevonConway #CSK #CSKvsRCB #IPL2024 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/BzXuHiaYee

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) March 4, 2024

However, with the thumb surgery ruling him out for at least the first half of the IPL, if not the entirety of it, CSK will have to look at other options to replace Conway at the top of the order. Here are some of the options they have.

Rachin Ravindra

The easiest swap CSK can make is to bring in Conway’s New Zealand teammate and wonderkid Rachin Ravindra to partner Gaikwad. Ravindra had a breakthrough 2023 World Cup, following which he was picked up by CSK in the auction for what will be his first IPL season. A left-handed batter like Conway, Ravindra also provides the added dimension of some left-arm orthodox spin.

He doesn’t have great T20 batting numbers to show for (he averages 16.41 with a strike rate of 126.26), but with the rate at which his game has developed over the last few months and the winning environment at CSK which is famous for bringing the best out of their players, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he comes good at the top.

Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane surprised one and all last season with his never-seen-before avatar. Batting mostly at No.3 and sometimes at No.4, Rahane averaged 32.6 from 11 innings but, more importantly, struck at 172.5, his quickest in an IPL season by far. While he is struggling for runs in domestic cricket currently, there’s a decent chance that CSK might push him up the order to open the batting, slotting in either of Ravindra or Daryl Mitchell in the space vacated in the middle order. Known to be a better player of pace than spin, a move to the top should only benefit Rahane if it happens.

Moeen Ali

CSK have used Moeen Ali as a floater both while batting and bowling. He has batted from all positions between No.3 and No.8 except for No.7, with his highest number of innings coming at No.3. With an opening slot vacant, CSK may think about moving Moeen up top to replace Conway. Moeen has a decent record as a T20 opener, having scored 1635 runs at a strike rate of 146.9, including nine fifties and a hundred. However, with the arrival of Ravindra and Mitchell, his spot in the XI might not be as certain as it was before.

Daryl Mitchell

The New Zealand batter has been one of the most consistent performers across formats in world cricket in the last few years. His two centuries against India at the 2023 World Cup pushed him further into the limelight which richly deserves, along with helping him get a gig with CSK. Primarily a middle-order batter with a solid game against spin, Mitchell also has opening experience in T20s. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, he opened the batting for New Zealand and had a successful campaign, scoring 208 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 140.54. Mitchell can also provide a couple of overs of cutters with the ball if required.

Potential CSK line up without Conway

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Despande (Impact Player).