However, the back injury is likely to further endanger Chahar’s return to the IPL, considering the BCCI and the Indian team management would want him to be in peak shape as India prepare for the T20 World Cup due to begin in October.
A swing bowler with the new ball as well as an able lower-order hitter, Chahar’s absence has already hurt the balance of Super Kings’ side so far this season. They have lost all four matches to begin with, most crucially missing him with the ball in the powerplay, where they have managed just two wickets at an economy rate of 8.62 in 24 overs across the four games, and have not yet been able to find an ideal replacement for him.
Super Kings shelled out INR 14 crore (approx. US $1.84 million) for Chahar at the IPL 2022 auction, but now seem to struggle in his absence. Although the likes of Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande, Adam Milne and Chris Jordan have been used with the new ball, none of them has been able to provide them with the required control in the early stages of the match.
Among still other options, Super Kings have KM Asif and Rajvardhan Hangarkekar who can take the new ball for them in the matches to come.