I am not sure of Cheteshwar Pujara's place in CSK's Playing XI: Brett Lee

Former Australian pacer Brett Lee reckons that although Pujara is a phenomenal cricketer, the value he adds in the T20 format is still uncertain. After going unsold for six consecutive years, India's test specialist has finally received an IPL contract. At the IPL 2021 mini-auction this year, Cheteshwar Pujara was roped in by three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings. The Saurashtra born was signed by CSK for the base price of ₹50 lakh. CSK will be his third IPL franchise. Earlier, Pujara has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings. Although the batsman is fully prepared for the forthcoming IPL season, it still doubtful whether he will make it to CSK's Playing XI.

Pujara is a regular face for the Men in Blue when it comes to Test cricket. But, in the shortest format of the game, the right-handed batsman is often overlooked. Many IPL franchises have been doubtful of his abilities as a T20 player because of his highly defensive approach in the red-ball format. Pujara's biggest challenge in the forthcoming IPL season will be to score runs quickly and prove his critics wrong.

I'm a big fan of Cheteshwar Pujara, and I think he has a lot to offer: Brett Lee

Last week, Pujara looked in great form during the training sessions. He was seen smashing huge sixes against his CSK teammates. Despite the perception of being a Test specialist, the batsman averages around 30 in T20s and strikes at 109.9. In 2019, Pujara had scored his maiden T20 century for Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Railways. Recently, the Yellow Brigade welcomed their new recruits of the season with a ceremony headlined by skipper MS Dhoni in Mumbai. MS Dhoni continued the tradition of handing over new Chennai Super Kings jerseys to the team's new players. Pujara, Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Robin Uthappa were seen at the ceremony getting their official kits from the captain.

The Chennai-based franchise is currently training in Mumbai. They are going to play their first five matches of the season. The entire team had trained in Chennai before checking in to their hotel in Mumbai for the mandatory seven-day quarantine ahead of the competition. They will play their first match against Delhi Capitals on April 10 in Mumbai.

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