Injured Deepak Chahar to miss majority of IPL for CSK

New Delhi: Injured Deepak Chahar may miss the majority of the IPL 2022 season for Chennai Super Kings, said a report by ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday. 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. Chahar has been at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for further management and recovery from the injury.

"Chahar, who suffered a quadricep tear in the third T20I against West Indies last month, is likely to take several weeks to heal, meaning he could miss the IPL which will be played between March 26 and May 29. It is understood that the Super Kings are awaiting a final assessment from the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where Chahar is currently undergoing his rehabilitation," said the report.

Chahar had been on an upswing with his performances with the Indian team. He took 2/54 and made a quick-fire 54 in the final ODI against South Africa at Cape Town, which India narrowly lost by four runs. In the two ODIs he played against the West Indies, Chahar made 54 and 38 with the bat apart from picking 2/53 and 2/41 with the ball. Just before getting injured, Chahar had taken out two quick wickets in the final T20I against the West Indies.

The impressive performances for the Indian team translated into Chahar earning a huge paycheck of INR 14 crores in the IPL Mega Auction from CSK. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals commenced the bidding first for Chahar. The two franchises came out all guns blazing as Chahar's value breached the 10-crore mark.

Hyderabad then backed out and Chennai entered the fray. Rajasthan Royals joined in late at 13.25 crore but Chennai was successful in buying back Chahar for INR 14 crores, continuing their association with him since 2018. It was also the very first time Chennai spent more than INR 10 crores on roping in a player.

After spending two seasons with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, Chahar was picked by CSK for INR 80L in the 2018 IPL Mega Auction. Chahar has been a vital cog in the wheel for CSK, picking 58 wickets in four seasons, especially proving to be effective in power-play as the MS Dhoni-led side won the title in 2018 and 2021.