IPL Auction 2023 : Chennai Super Kings Preview

We had started a series of auction previews for all the IPL teams as the auction for the 2023 IPL season is upon us and we tried to analyze every team’s requirements. We have already talked about 8 teams and only 2 teams are left. Today we will talk about our 9^th team, which is Chennai Super Kings.

Chennai Super Kings has been a very successful franchise in the Indian Premier League winning the title four times. They have seen so much success in all these past years with the help of M.S. Dhoni, their captain, who has led them incredibly well.

Last season, before the start of IPL 2022, M.S. Dhoni decided that it is the right time for transition and decided to hand over the CSK captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. He did so very unexpectedly and just three days before the first match of the season.

Last season was not a good experience for them as they finished in the second-last spot on the points table. We will have a look at their current squad before the auction, try to find out their requirements, and make their probable 11 which can get them to the IPL trophy for the record fifth time.

The current squad of Chennai Super Kings is as follows –

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

The Chennai Super Kings management has a lot of funds to go into the auction (INR 20.75 crores) and they can buy a maximum of 7 players in the auction, out of which 2 can be overseas. Their coach Stephen Fleming will be the key to how they perform at the auction as he has been coaching the CSK team for many years and knows the team’s requirements very well. Let us try to see how their probable playing 11 turns out before going into the auction.

They have a very good opening pair in Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway, both of them have been in some exceptional form in whatever level of cricket they have played in the past year. Ambati Rayudu, who probably will play his last IPL, will bat at 3 for them this season. Shivam Dube, who played some extraordinary knocks last season for CSK, will play at 4 according to me.

Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be the 5, 6, and 7 for Chennai Super Kings this season depending upon the situation. Since they will play half of their matches on slow pitches of Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, I chose Moeen Ali over Dwaine Pretorius but they can change it depending on the conditions of the ground.

Deepak Chahar will play at 8 as the first-choice fast bowler. Mukesh Choudhary will be the other Indian pacer to accompany him. At 10, they will play a world-class spinner in Maheesh Theekshana and for the last position, they need to acquire an overseas fast bowler in the auction. Their main focus in the auction should be an overseas fast bowler and Indian backups for their regulars.

Once again, a lot of onus will be on Ravindra Jadeja to take CSK at the helm after a disappointing previous season. A lot will also depend on how Ruturaj and Conway start the innings at the top as their middle order looks scratchy.