Murali Vijay, the Chennai Super Kings batsman, has been passed the fitness test and is available for selection for the next tie.
He missed the first two games for his side, and Ambati Rayudu opened the innings in his absence.
Earlier, it looked like Vijay got dropped from the playing XI. However, it was an injury which kept him out. He suffered a blow on his ribs during a net session ahead of IPL opener against Mumbai Indians. This resulted in MS Dhoni picking Rayudu as an opener.
Now, Rayudu might also be forced to bat lower down the order with Suresh Raina being ruled out.
The left-handed batsman is all set to miss CSK’s next two ties due to a calf injury, and Rayudu might be asked to bat at number three, given that Vijay gets included in the playing XI.
Should Dhoni continue with Rayudu, then Vijay might find it difficult to make it to the playing XI.
In that case, Dhruv Shorey might be asked to bat at number three in place of Raina. The non-availability of Raina has come as a big blow for CSK, as they will have to reshuffle the squad again as soon as he is fit.
Chennai Super Kings will take on Kings XI Punjab in their next contest in an away game on April 15. Meanwhile, the home games of CSK have been moved to Pune. Amidst the threat from various political parties, CSK played their first home game in Chennai. During the game, a shoe was hurled in the playing area.
Protests also took place outside the stadium against the IPL game to be played in Chennai. This all resulted in IPL taking protective measure and shifting the home game of CSK to Pune.
The franchise made a comeback in IPL after two years and was playing its first home game. The Chennai fans might be deprived of home games next year as well due to general elections.
In 2009, the whole of the IPL was played outside India (South Africa) while in 2014 few games were played outside India, due to General Elections.