The auction day is around the corner and all the 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises are mulling over having the best bunch of players when they assemble next week in Dubai. As many as 333 players will go under the hammer on Tuesday and the teams will be keen to have the best-suited player to fill in the available slots. Defending Champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will also be in focus as they need to fill 6 empty slots, including 3 overseas cricketers.
The 5-time champions will majorly look to fill the spots vacated by Ambati Rayudu and Ben Stokes. While the former Indian batter retired after winning the trophy earlier this year, the English all-rounder pulled out of the forthcoming season to manage his workload.
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Before the CSK think tank gathers in Dubai and goes all gun blazing in the auction, here are some things you need to know:
Chennai Super Kings Retained Squad: MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Subhranshu Senapati, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana
Released players: Dwayne Bravo, Robin Uthappa, Bhagath Varma, KM Asif, Narayan Jagadeesan, Adam Milne, Hari Nishaanth, Chris Jordan
Purse remaining for the auction: Rs 20.45 crore
Slots Available: 6, Overseas: 3
Karun Nair
Despite being one of the prolific batters in Indian cricket, there has been no end to Nair’s misery. The out-of-favour Indian batter has been hopping from one franchise to another but has failed to cement his place in any of them. Recently released from the Lucknow Super Giants, Nair will be in search of a buyer in the auction on Tuesday. He had a decent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 218 runs in 7 matches with the highest score of 95 not out.
Josh Hazlewood
Will it be a homecoming for the Australia speedster? Well, why not? The CSK will be looking for a pace spearhead who can fit in for Kyle Jamieson who was released last month. Last season, the Kiwi pacer was ruled out due to an injury and was replaced by South Africa’s Sisanda Magala who was also sidelined after splitting his webbing in one of the matches. Hazlewood’s return to the Yellow Army could inject fresh vigour into the camp and as the CSK looks to strengthen its bowling unit, an experienced Australian would be a great choice.
Alzarri Joseph
The Caribbean youngster could be a perfect match for outgoing Dwaine Pretorius in the CSK camp. The former South African pacer played 7 matches and picked up 6 wickets while managing 44 runs. Joseph brings his lethal pace and ability to dismantle batting line-ups which can benefit the defending champions, especially in death. He has already proved his mettle while playing for the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Titans and if picked by CSK, there’s no way he can’t flourish under the wings of MS Dhoni.
Jason Holder
CSK also has a tough task ahead when it comes to looking for a replacement for Ben Stokes. The ace English all-rounder opted out of the IPL 2024 to manage his workload. In his absence, the defending will be on the lookout for a seasoned all-rounder who can be handy with the ball and can also make notable contributions with the bat. Released by Rajasthan Royals, the former West Indies captain would be one of the hot properties in the auction among the 333 registered players. It will be interesting to see if CSK goes behind him to have Holder back in the camp.
Shahrukh Khan
The rising star of Tamil Nadu will be up for grabs in the players’ auction on Tuesday. He has plied his trade for Punjab Kings before getting released by the franchise last month. Known as a fearless finisher, Shahrukh can come as an exciting prospect for the CSK as they look to strengthen their middle order. Going by CSK’s trend of nurturing talent, a local boy in Shahrukh can do wonders for the youngster who has already made a name for himself in the domestic circuit.
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