Chennai Super Kings – one of the IPL teams to have a massive fan base endured a tough season in the 2022 IPL.
Ahead of the season-opening match MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja who struggles to lead CSK and stepped down from the captaincy role in the middle of the tournament where CSK renamed MS Dhoni as their captain.
Simarjeet Singh Recalls Missing U19 Asia Cup
Apart from the captaincy chaos, the CSK had also lost one of its main Indian bowlers – Deepak Chahar – as he was ruled out of the season due to an injury.
In his absence, the side tested multiple Indian pacers in the XI and the likes of Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh have stepped up for CSK in the past few games.
Simarjeet, who made his debut for the Super Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad, shone in the side’s previous game against Delhi Capitals as he secured figures of 2/27 in four overs.
Simarjeet was picked by CSK in the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 20 lakh and was earlier a part of Mumbai Indians when he was roped in by the side during the second phase of the season last year.
Simarjeet, who represents Delhi, has also played for India’s U19 teams in the past; however, in a video for CSK, the bowler recalled a moment when he was dropped from the squad merely hours before the scheduled departure.
“There was this one time when I was selected to play for India, when I was selected in the U-19 team in Asia Cup.
A day before we were scheduled to depart, I got a call, telling me that I cannot go to the Asia Cup because of some rule that barred those who played at the U19 level the previous year from playing again. Since I played at the level the previous year, the selectors canceled my selection,” Simarjeet recalled.
“I was supposed to take flight at 7 in the morning, and I got a call at 11 PM that I’m no longer a part of the team. So, I was disheartened by it all. But my parents tried to pacify me by telling me I should be proud to have gotten where I have.
This incident had the effect of motivating me to get selected to play for India in some other series, like the emerging cup or something like that,” said Simarjeet.
The Indian pacer has made 11 first-class appearances for Delhi so far, taking 37 wickets. He has also made 23 List A appearances and as many T20 appearances for the side.
