IPL 2022: Good news for MS Dhoni’s CSK as Deepak Chahar likely to play in tournament from THIS date

Deepak Chahar had sustained a right quadriceps injury while turning out for India in the final T20I against West Indies at Kolkata and was ruled out of the subsequent T20I series against Sri Lanka. As per the initial reports, the CSK all-rounder was set to undergo surgery which would have forced him to miss the major part of the IPL 2022.

CSK pacer Deepak Chahar (Source: Twitter)

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings can finally take a sigh of relief as their premier pacer Deepak Chahar, whom they bought for a hefty amount of Rs 14 crore, is likely to be fit to play in IPL 2022 by the middle of April.

For the unversed, Chahar had sustained a right quadriceps injury while turning out for India in the final T20I against West Indies at Kolkata and was ruled out of the subsequent T20I series against Sri Lanka. As per the initial reports, the bowling all-rounder was set to undergo surgery which would have forced him to miss the major part of the upcoming IPL season.

However, Chahar won’t have to undergo a surgery now, said a report in the Times of India. The right-arm pacer decided against going under the knife as it would have ruled him out of IPL 2022 and dented his chances of 2022 T20 World Cup participation.

Start the Summer Whistles... #EverywhereWeGo! #TataIPL #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/YGrRPIQysy — Chennai Super Kings - Mask Pdu Whistle Pdu! (@ChennaiIPL) March 6, 2022

Chahar is currently undergoing an eight-week rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and after that the pacer is expected to be available for CSK selection.

But, as per the report, CSK wants Chahar to join their camp in Surat in the next couple of weeks. Apparently, the defending champions want to monitor the pacer’s fitness and make him ready for the IPL 2022 as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, CSK also roped in Irish pacer Josh Little as a net bowler in absence of Chahar.

Cricket Ireland announced the news on Twitter saying, "Congrats to Josh Little who is heading off on a development opportunity with the Chennai Super Kings in the early stages of the upcoming IPL. The experience as a net bowler for CSK should be fantastic."

Congrats to Josh Little who is heading off on a development opportunity with the Chennai Super Kings in the early stages of the upcoming IPL.

The experience as a net bowler for CSK should be fantastic. #GoWellJosh pic.twitter.com/5aUFwfZkAp — Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) March 7, 2022

Notably, CSK will play the IPL 2022 opener against KKR on March 26.

Check full schedule of CSK in IPL 2022 here:

March 26 - vs KKR, 7.30 pm IST at Wankhede

March 31 - vs LSG, 7.30 pm IST at Brabourne

April 3 - vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm IST at Brabourne

April 9 - vs SRH, 3.30 pm IST at DY Patil Stadium

April 12 - vs RCB, 7.30 pm IST at DY Patil stadium

April 17 - vs Gujarat Titans, 7.30 pm IST at MCA Pune

April 21- vs MI, 7.30 pm IST at DY Patil stadium, Mumbai

April 25 - vs Punjab Kings, 7.30 pm IST at Wankhede

May 1 - vs SRH, 7.30 pm IST at MCA Pune

May 4 - vs RCB, 7.30 pm IST at MCA Pune

May 8 - vs DC, 7.30 pm IST at DY Patil Stadium

May 12 - vs MI, 7.30 pm IST at Wankhede

May 15 - vs GT, 3.30 pm IST at Wankhede

May 20 - vs RR, 7.30 pm IST at Brabourne

CSK Full Squad: Ravindra Jadeja (16 Cr), MS Dhoni (12 Cr), Moeen Ali (8), Ruturaj Gaikwad (6 Cr),Robin Uthappa (2 Cr) / Dwayne Bravo (4.4 Cr) / Ambati Rayudu (6.75 Cr) / Deepak Chahar (14 Cr) / KM Asif (0.2 Cr) / Tushar Deshpande (0.2 Cr), Shivam Dube (4 Cr) / Maheesh Theekshana (0.7 Cr) / Rajvardhan Hangargekar (1.5 Cr) / Simarjeet Singh (0.2 Cr) / Devon Conway (1 Cr) / Dwaine Pretorious (0.5 Cr) / Mitch Santner (1.9 Cr) / Adam Milne (1.9 Cr) / Subhrashu Senapati (0.2 Cr) / Mukesh Choudhary (0.2 Cr) / Prashant Solanki (1.2 Cr) / N. Jagadesshan (0.2 Cr) / Hari Nishaant (0.2 Cr) / Chris Jordan (3.6 Cr) / K Bhagath Varma (0.2 Cr).