Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s laid-back style of leadership, and the franchise’s penchant for banking almost exclusively on 30-year-old T20 veterans, is in stark contrast to the format’s characteristic. But Chennai have solid results to back this strategy – they have won the IPL four times and finished runners-up five times since the tournament started in 2008.
Chennai are known to give the players they pick a long rope and expect them to do much of the problem solving on the pitch rather than in team meetings. That has made Chennai an attractive team for players who want to take their game to the next level. As South African veteran Faf du Plessis said a couple of years back: “There are a lot of thinking cricketers in the dressing room.”
5. Shaik Rasheed (INR 20 lakh)
Chennai Super Kings signed India U19 youngster Shaik Rasheed for base price of INR 20 lakh in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2023 on Friday (December 23). The 18-year-old batting all-rounder first surfaced after impressive performances in the Andhra Premier League 2022 (APL).
The Andhra-born right-handed batter was the leading run-scorer for Rayalaseema Kings in APL 2022 with 159 runs from just five innings at an average of 53.00 and a strike rate of 121.37 with the help of one half-century. He made the headlines for smashing 85* off 55 against Uttarandhra Lions in the Eliminator clash in APL 2022 season, which earned him a place in the Andhra cricket team in domestic cricket this season.
4. Ajinkya Rahane (INR 50 lakh)
Ajinkya Rahane was sold to the Chennai Super Kings for his base price of Rs 50 lakh at the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi on Friday. CSK was the only team which made the move for Rahane. During the 2022 season, Rahane picked up a hamstring injury during Kolkata Knight Riders’ match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which brought a premature end to his campaign.
Rahane finished with 133 runs from seven innings at an average of 19.00 and strike rate of 103.90 and was released before the December mini-auction. Rahane’s best innings came in Knight Riders’ first game, against Chennai Super Kings, when he made 44 in 34 balls. However, in the next four matches, he had mediocre returns of 9, 12, 7 and 8.
Rahane has previously played for the Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants and the Mumbai Indians. Rahane has been out of favour with the national selectors, having not played a Test match since January. He is currently leading Mumbai in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy.
3. Nishant Sindhu (INR 60 lakh)
Nishant Sindhu, one of the rising stars of U-19 World Cup winning India team gets sold to Chennai Super Kings on a price of 60 lakh, The youngster will surely be an asset for the Chennai Super Kings in near future. Left-handed batsman Nishant Sindhu is just a few steps away from his IPL debut. In the IPL Auction 2023 held in the past, Nishant Sindhu was included in his camp by Chennai Super Kings for a price of Rs 60 lakhs.
Playing under the leadership of an experienced player like Mahendra Singh Dhoni is like a dream come true for any young player. Nishant is just 18 years old. He is currently a core member of the India national under-19 cricket team.
Born on 9 April 2004 in Rohtak, Haryana, Nishant Sindhu is an all-rounder player. He is adept at batting left-handed as well as bowling spin. The role of an all-rounder is very important in the T20 format. In such a situation, it can be expected that in the upcoming IPL season, he will get the opportunity to make his debut for Chennai Super Kings. So this is going to be a very special moment in Sindhu’s career.
2. Kyle Jamieson (INR 1 crore)
Kyle Jamieson was bought by Chennai Super Kings during IPL 2023 auction. The franchise spent Rs. 1 crore to grab the Kiwi player into their squad. Kyle Jamieson kept a base price of Rs. 1 crore in IPL 2023 auction.
Kyle Jamieson is a New Zealand player. He is a right-arm medium-pace bowler who is 27 years old. He has played some games for New Zealand national cricket team and has also played in IPL before. The Kiwi pacer was not part of IPL 2022. However, he played in IPL 2021 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Jamieson was one of the costliest players in the IPL 2021 auction.
In IPL 2021 season, he played 9 matches for RCB. He scalped 9 wickets in 9 games at an average of 29.88. He held an economy of 9.60. He also scored 65 runs with the bat. However, he was released by the team ahead of the 2022 season.
1. Ben Stokes (INR 16.25 crore)
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels England star Ben Stokes will have to bat in the top-order to become a success for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League 2023. CSK bought Stokes for INR 16.25 crore. Chopra said that Chepauk’s wicket is helpful for the spinners and Ben batting in the lower order could be tricky.
“I was surprised when CSK broke the bank for Ben Stokes. I am not sure of his performance in Chennai as the wickets are good for spinners. He won’t be able to play shots if he comes down in the batting order,” he said.