Shardul Thakur

Shardul started his IPL journey with Kings XI Punjab but he nurtured during his days with Rising Pune Supergiant. His return under MS Dhoni’s leadership saw him doing well in the IPL 2018. His ability to swing the ball both ways makes him a handy weapon for CSK. He enjoyed his time with the franchise last season and picked 16 wickets in 13 matches, out of which most wickets came in the power play.

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Hence, he is expected to lead CSK with the new ball. On the other hand, five first-class half-centuries suggest his batting ability. But batting in T20s is different from batting in the Ranji Trophy. Though he can hit few out of the park and this makes him the X factor for CSK in IPL 2019.