Don't Drop Ashwin, Stop Him From Bowling In Powerplay: Kris Srikkanth

Former India batter Kris Srikkanth advised Chennai Super Kings (CSK) not to drop Ravichandran Ashwin but, instead, to not give him the ball in the powerplay. Ashwin has given away 49 runs in the powerplay from just three overs this season at a staggering economy rate of 16.3 — the worst among bowlers who have bowled at least two overs.

“[Devon] Conway has to come in place of Jamie Overton and also bring in Anshul Kamboj into the XI. With regards to Ashwin, don’t drop him, but stop him from bowling in the powerplay," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. 

"Between 7-18th over he can be effective, with Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, they can easily slip in 10 overs at least. I will drop Tripathi and bring in Kamboj and then Conway in place of Overton."

Ashwin has only three wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, with an economy rate of a shade under 10. Moreover, Srikkanth has also called for Shivam Dube to be included in the XI and Andre Siddarth to be the impact player.

Siddarth was bought for INR 30 lakh at the IPL 2025 auction. “I would make Shivam Dube play in the XI and bring in Andre Siddarth as an Impact Player. Even Mukhesh Chowdhary is a good option. He has bowled well for CSK in the past,” Srikkanth added.

After beating Mumbai Indians (MI) in the first game, CSK have lost two in a row. They will hope to get back to winning ways against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Chepauk on April 5 (Saturday).