Chennai Super Kings went big for Ben Stokes (Rs 16.25 crore)
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a simple mantra: rely on tried-and-tested seniors who have been there and done that. It was visible in the IPL auction as they went for Ben Stokes (Rs 16.25 crore) and Ajinkya Rahane (Rs 50 lakh). Building teams is something he has always left to other franchises. With the IPL set to return to its home-and-away format, CSK will play seven home games at the Chepauk, which won't exactly be a batter's paradise. For Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo was a player of immense value, and he wanted that replacement. CSK looked at all-rounders who could hit big between overs 16 and 20 and exploit the tacky Chennai surface with variations. They considered Jason Holder at first, but ultimately chose England's all-rounder.
Look at CSK's batting lineup: Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, and Ajinkya Rahane. On every surface, this squad of T20 batsmen with a variety of skills is ideal.
Stokes can open the batting or bowl on days when the big man dons his preferred canary yellow shirt, and he might even be the one in charge of the field.
Chennai Super Kings Full Squad :
Players bought in the IPL 2023 auction : Bhagath Varma (INR 20 lakh), Ajay Mandal (INR 20 lakh), Kyle Jamieson (INR 1 crore), Nishant Sindhu (INR 60 lakh), Shaik Rasheed (INR 20 lakh), Ben Stokes (INR 16.25 crore), and Ajinkya Rahane (INR 50 lakh).
Players retained : 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, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, and Maheesh Theekshana