IPL 2022 big questions - Part I: How do CSK cope without Deepak Chahar? Where does Kohli bat for RCB?

Chennai Super Kings: How to plug the Deepak Chahar hole?
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings have lost their pace spearhead Deepak Chahar for a big chunk of the tournament, if not more. How do they ensure this does not affect the team's balance? Since 2018, Chahar has been the most prolific powerplay bowler in the IPL, with 42 wickets in the phase. The next best is Trent Boult with 27 wickets. So it would be very difficult to find a replacement who could have a similar impact with the ball. Even so, it would still be better to look to strengthen the bowling as pitches are likely to favour the batters early in the tournament.

One option is to have Robin Uthappa open the batting with Ruturaj Gaikwad while playing two overseas fast bowlers in Chris Jordan and Adam Milne. The other option is to bring in uncapped Indian fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar and have Devon Conway opening with Gaikwad.

Other than Hangargekar, who was part of India's recent Under-19 World Cup win, Super Kings have a rich stable of Indian fast bowlers in Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh and KM Asif.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Where does Virat Kohli bat?
Let's start with the numbers. Virat Kohli's powerplay strike rate in the IPL over the last three seasons is 130.16 - that is eighth-best among the 19 players who have played a minimum of 250 balls in that phase. He averages 37.40 in this period.

In the middle overs in the last three years, Kohli strikes at 110.16, which is 23rd among 25 players who have played a minimum of 300 balls. Also, over the last two seasons, Kohli's scoring rate against spin has been below par - just 105.35, though he averages 70. Read: he does not get out to spin, but he does not score quickly either. Among 20 batters who have played a minimum of 200 balls against spin in these seasons, Kohli is ranked 19th in terms of strike rate.

So, the numbers point towards Kohli being better off as an opener, rather than coming lower down and potentially facing more spin post-powerplay. However, given Royal Challengers' middle-order options, and taking into account Kohli's No. 3 role with India, it might be feasible for the team to have him at one-down with Indian uncapped batter Anuj Rawat partnering new captain Faf du Plessis at the top. That could prove particularly beneficial early in the tournament in terms of spreading the experience around, with Glenn Maxwell joining at least a week late as he is getting married. If Kohli ends up opening with du Plessis, then Rawat is likely to be No. 3.

David Willey is another potential opening option, with Kohli, Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik completing the middle order.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Should Venkatesh Iyer open, and who keeps wicket?
Venkatesh Iyer shot to fame with his fearless approach as an opener last IPL, when Kolkata Knight Riders reversed a horrendous start to the season to make the final. Since then Iyer has debuted for India in white-ball cricket, where he is being nurtured as a finisher. However, there is no obligation for the franchises to allow players to mirror their roles at the international level, so Knight Riders, you'd expect, will want Iyer to open. But that is only half the challenge resolved. Who will be Iyer's opening partner? The answer to that could be linked to the second key question confronting the franchise: who keeps wicket?

Knight Riders' gameplan has seemingly been hit by the late pullout of Alex Hales, who was a prime contender for the opening slot. But there are other options: Englishman Sam Billings, who can both keep and float in the batting order, Saurashtra wicketkeeper-batter Sheldon Jackson, and Tamil Nadu batter B Indrajith who also keeps wicket.

Or Knight Riders can make Hales' replacement, Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch, open with Iyer. That in turn would mean Jackson would bat in the middle order and keep wicket.

Of course, Knight Riders' squad also includes Ajinkya Rahane, who has vast experience opening in the IPL, and Sunil Narine. Ideally, though, they would want Narine following Andre Russell to provide batting depth.

Mumbai Indians: Who takes the four overseas slots?
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians have a strong core, but a lot of their overseas players and uncapped Indians are new to the franchise. The first challenge for them is to pick their four overseas players. While Kieron Pollard and the big-hitting Tim David pick themselves, the other two slots are less clear-cut. Conditions are likely to favour batters and so, in Jofra Archer's absence, Mumbai might want to strengthen their death bowling with the inclusion of Tymal Mills.

The fourth slot should be a toss-up between the fast-bowling pair of Riley Meredith and Daniel Sams. Meredith's pace could be a tempting option to start with, but Sams offers some batting depth with his robust hitting.

As for the uncapped Indians likely to make the XI, as it stands Hyderabad youngster Tilak Varma is likely to start at No. 3 and Tamil Nadu allrounder Sanjay Yadav could be utilised as a floater, performing a similar role to Krunal Pandya over the last five seasons.

Delhi Capitals: What if Anrich Nortje is out?
Anrich Nortje, the South Africa fast bowler, has been sidelined since the T20 World Cup in November 2021 due to a hip injury, and, as per Cricket South Africa, there is no definitive date of return yet. Nortje was arguably Capitals' most impactful bowler - and second-highest wicket-taker - in the last two IPLs, which was enough for them to retain him. But their failure to pick a like-for-like back-up for Nortje at the auction could come back to haunt them. Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman are the other two overseas fast bowlers in the squad, but neither has performed on the same level as Nortje in terms of striking ability upfront nor do they possess the same pace.

The Indian left-arm fast-bowling pair of Chetan Sakariya and Khaleel Ahmed could be other options in Nortje's place, with Capitals perhaps going in with only three overseas players.

The other challenge Capitals face is the late arrival of Australia's David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, who are set to miss at least the first two matches. They are expected to join Capitals' squad around April 6; Capitals' third game is on April 7. Their absence is bound to make Capitals' batting thin, at least on paper. Till they are good to go, New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert could open with Prithvi Shaw, while West Indies' Rovman Powell could bat in the middle order.