Sport - Cricket

Super Kings team for Champions League

Chennai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has announced its 15-member squad for the Champions Twenty20 league beginning on December 3.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side will have its key overseas stars Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Muttiah Muralitharan, Albie Morkel, and Makhaya Ntini for the competition. However, the squad does not include pace bowling all-rounder Jacob Oram who has been dogged by fitness concerns.

V.B. Chandrasekar, Director, Cricket Operations, CSK, told The Hindu that the emphasis was on fielding and fitness while picking the squad. “We have almost all our overseas stars available which means some of the Indian cricketers have missed out. Of course, we would have loved to have Oram, who can be influential,” he said.

Young paceman Sudip Tyagi is a part of the team. Chandrasekar said, “We signed him at the beginning of the last season but Tyagi soon suffered a stress fracture of the back. He’s recovered well and is back in the scheme of things. He’s tall, gets a bit of bounce, can be sharp.”

The side will, however, be without Joginder Sharma; the paceman has been troubled by a heel injury. R. Ashwin is the spin back-up for Muralitharan. Parthiv Patel is the second wicket-keeper in the side. He can also double up as an opener.

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming will coach the side. Kepler Wessels’ contract has not been extended by CSK.

The matches in Chennai will be played on December 5, 6, 7, 9 (semifinals), and 10 (final). The BCCI has requested the ECB for putting off the first India – England Test (in Ahmedabad) by a day so that the Indian cricketers who play in the final can have some breathing space before the Test. The first Test is scheduled to begin on December 11.

The CSK squad: M.S. Dhoni (captain), M. Hayden, M. Hussey, S. Raina, A. Morkel, S. Badrinath, C. Kapugedara, K.B. Arun Karthik, P. Patel, R. Ashwin, M. Muralitharan, M. Ntini, L. Balaji, M. Gony, S. Tyagi. Coach: S. Fleming.

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