Chennai Super Kings (CSK) golden mantra over the years has been the selection of the right personnel. They have rarely deviated from their set XI. Even though this formula has served them well but their rigidness to stick to a certain combination has found its chinks. They have been guilty of not properly utilizing resources at their disposal.
Let’s look at 5 Players who are Under Utilized by CSK
#5 Irfan Pathan
CSK bought Irfan Pathan in the 2015 IPL auctions. It was believed that this move might resurrect Pathan’s career. But Pathan hardly got a game for the yellow brigade and often found himself on the sidelines. It might be argued that Irfan Pathan wasn’t really at the peak of his career but truth is that he could have been trusted a little more.
#4 Andrew Tye
Chennai Super Kings acquired Andrew Tye in 2015. He did not get a single game the entire season. CSK was blessed with stars like Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis, and Dwayne Bravo. This made it even more difficult for Tye to make the cut. He announced himself in the IPL when he secured a hattrick on debut while representing Gujarat Lions in 2017. Tye even won the purple cap award in 2018 playing for Kings XI Punjab.
#3 Baba Aparajith
Baba Aparajith was an integral member of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning side in 2012. He was one of the most promising young Indian batsmen at that time. His off-spin ability made him a utility player. CSK picked Aparajith in the 2013 auctions. But he failed to get a single game in the star-studded CSK outfit for 3 straight seasons. Rising Pune Supergiant then picked him in 2016 auctions. He failed to get a game for 2 straight seasons there.
Fun fact: MS Dhoni was RPS captain in 2016.
#2 George Bailey
CSK picked George Bailey in 2009 auctions. Bailey represented CSK for two seasons (2009-10). He played a total of 4 games for the franchise. Bailey often played as a replacement to Matthew Hayden. He found his true calling with KXIP as he captained them for their best ever IPL showing as 2014 runners-up.
#1 Sam Billings
Sam Billings played a match-winning knock for CSK in his debut innings representing the men in yellow. But Billings remained largely under-utilized as CSK were hell-bent on a certain overseas combination. He played a total of 11 games for CSK and was later released by the franchise.
