Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have really taken a hit with Ruturaj Gaikwad sidelined due to injury. This season already hasn't been a kind one for the champs, who have managed to win just one out of five games and are still counting. It only adds to their woes. It is MS Dhoni back at the helm, but he and the entire CSK think tank will surely have some tough task at hand. The major challenge will be sorting out the batting order: Gaikwad was using his number three position to support a very dodgy middle order. Without him, CSK will have to search for a new player to fill that gap. Centering the batting lineup was Gaikwad, someone the rest of the team was meant to circle around. So CSK decided to open with Rahul Tripathi instead of Rachin Ravindra. Tripathi, however, did not come good, as he managed just 30 runs in three innings before being dropped. But that part was clear CSK wanted to attack on powerplay. So that's why Tripathi was given an opportunity in the first place. But with that plan now scrapped, in came Devon Conway, and with Gaikwad now out, CSK might consider that earlier strategy again. Conway could become the steadfast top-order bulwark. Instead of bringing back Tripathi, CSK can get in Prithvi Shaw in place of Gaikwad. Unfortunately, Shaw went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction even though he is known for his talent. He has a lot of concerns regarding fitness and work ethic, but one has to admit that his talent screams him as a T20 opener. The fact that both Conway and Rachin are slow starters makes it necessary for CSK to have an opener who could go hard from ball one. Tripathi failed to deliver but Shaw just might. Also Read | Parthiv Patel Hails Sai Sudharsan’s Hard Work in IPL 2025 Of the runs Shaw has scored, 71% of those runs were scored in powerplay. He is fast off the mark and looking to find the boundaries to score runs. Now, pairing him with Rachin at the top would allow Conway to move to number three. This could be the start CSK has been looking for at last. Prithvi Shaw IPL stats: Matches Runs Average Strike Rate 50s Highest Score Overall 79 1892 23.94 147.46 14 99 PowerPlay 79 1347 25.90 146.57 – 48