IPL 2024, CSK vs KKR: Here’s why Deepak Chahar and Matheesha Pathirana not playing today’s game

The cricketing world buzzed with anticipation as the captains of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) strode into Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium for the toss of the promising 22nd match in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Fans were perched on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the team announcements. However, the excitement took an unexpected turn when CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed that two of the team’s premier pacers, Deepak Chahar and Matheesha Pathiran, would not be part of the playing XI, leaving fans curious about the reasons behind this decision.

It’s worth noting that this game holds significant importance for CSK, coming off the back of two consecutive losses.

Upon winning the toss, Ruturaj mentioned the exciting news of Shardul Thakur‘s inclusion and Mustafizur Rahman‘s return to the team. However, the mood soured with the announcement that Deepak and Pathirana wouldn’t be part of the lineup.

Reason why Deepak Chahar and Matheesha Pathirana are not playing today’s game

Ruturaj revealed that Deepak was forced out due to a niggle, while Pathirana is unavailable. Notably, Pathirana had previously suffered from a similar ailment. But despite the setback, Gaikwad expressed the team’s determination to secure a victory

“We’re definitely looking forward to securing a win in this game. They’re playing a good brand of cricket, and we want to keep things simple and focus on ourselves. Pathirana is unavailable, Mustafizur is back. Deepak has a niggle, so he misses out. Shardul comes in, and Rizvi returns,” said Ruturaj.

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CSK vs KKR: Playing XI of both teams:

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Here are the impact substitutes for both teams:

Chennai Super Kings Subs: Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu

Kolkata Knight Riders Subs: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sakib Hussain

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