Defending champions Chennai Super Kings' chances of making the playoffs hang by a thread as they have to win all their remaining matches and hope for other teams to lose. The team will have to do it without the services of one of their biggest asset, the all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has been rued out of the rest of the season due to a rib injury. CSK made the announcement on Wednesday evening.
CSK captain MS Dhoni came out for the toss against Mumbai Indians and was asked about missing Jadeja. He said that a player like Jadeja is difficult to replace.
"Someone like a Jaddu, he is one of those who helps us try out different combinations. It's tough to replace him, don't think anyone can field better, no replacement in that aspect," Dhoni said at the toss.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to field.
There have been lot of speculation about Jadeja's future at CSK as many former cricketers and pundits have been hinting that the player's time at the franchise might be over.
Reports surfaced about CSK unfollowing the cricketer on Instagram.
The all-rounder was the most expensive player for CSK in IPL 2022 being retained for Rs 16 crore. He was also appointed as the skipper of the team, just a couple of days before the beginning of the tournament. However, CSK lost six games in their eight outings under his captaincy. Jadeja even lost his form and managed to score only 111 runs and took three wickets in these matches.
He then 'relinquished' the captaincy of the side to focus on his own game and 'requested' MS Dhoni to lead the side again.
Under Dhoni, CSK ended up winning two games out of three.
So far, Jadeja has not had a great season, scoring only 116 in 10 games at an average of 19.33 with the best score of 26*. He has managed only five wickets so far.
(With ANI inputs)