How did Chennai Super Kings fare in the IPL 2023 auction? 

image-lc1wappvCSK Auction Table (Source: Twitter)

We saw some aggressive bidding by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 auction for the English all-rounder Chennai Super Kings. It looked like the most consistent team of the tournament was bent on picking up the player.  

But how justified was Stokes' price of INR 16.25 Cr and how did the franchise's overall auction go? Did they mend the right holes and stock up the proper backups? 

Let us, first of all, take a look at the squad of CSK before the auction and see what were they things they needed. 

CSK Squad before the auction

MS Dhoni (C), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana

What CSK Needed?

Looking at the retained players, one can say CSK needed someone who can play at number three for them. This spot was specially left empty for some time and the franchise tried quite a few options after Suresh Raina but hasn't yet really settled for someone. 

After releasing and his retirement, CSK needed a death bowler. But as far as the team culture needed they were in search of someone who can also be a handy bat. Yes, they had a certain Dwaine Pretorius as an option but Bravo's shoes are too big to fill and there is no harm in keeping a backup. 

A potential captain and a wicketkeeper backup. This was necessary for them as this might be the last year of the Maestro, MS Dhoni. 

Did they get what they needed?

CSK's most expensive buy, Ben Stokes (INR 16.25 Cr)

The English all-rounder is an answer to a lot of the CSK questions. Ben Stokes will be giving them the option to use him in the death overs. As he is already leading England in the longest format of the game, he can take up the top job in CSK as well in a year or twos time. Besides, these Stokes's presence will bring stability in the lineup, which MSD infuses in pressure situations with his calm and composed demeanour. 

A steal deal in Ajinkya Rahane  (INR 50 Lakhs)

In Ajinkya Rahane, CSK is trying to look for that stable number three at least for the next two or three years. Getting Rahane in 50 Lakhs was a steal deal for the franchise as the cricketer has still a lot to give to the game. Maybe his playing style is not thought to be ideal for the T20 format and hence the other teams did not go after him. But CSK is a franchise that knows how to bring the best out of its players and mould them according to the team's requirements. Besides, Rahane is another option that they might have in head for captaincy in future. 

Why did CSK buy Kyle Jamieson?

In the Dwayne Bravo role we were talking about earlier, Jamieson perfectly fits in. Yes, he might need to work on his style of bowling in the T20 format. But his general bowling and batting abilities make him a great candidate for the spot.  And after they were not able to buy Sam Curran back, Jamieson was a great fallback plan. 

Backup buys 

Nishant Sindhu - Backup wicketkeeper

Shaik Rasheed - Backup top-order batter

Ajay Mandal - Backup of Ravindra Jadeja

Bhagath Varma - Backup spin bowler 

Auction Rating: 7.5/10

Probable XI at the start of the season

  1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
  2. Devon Conway  ✈️
  3. Moeen Ali  ✈️
  4. Ambati Rayudu
  5. Shivam Dube
  6. Ben Stokes ✈️
  7. M S Dhoni (c & wk)
  8. Ravindra Jadeja
  9. Deepak Chahar
  10. Maheesh Theekshana  ✈️
  11. Mukesh Choudhary

Rajvardhan Hangrekar or Ajinkya Rahane can be used as the impact player by the team in most of the matches.


Also Read: IPL 2023 mini-auction: Full squad of all teams, sold and unsold players