At the IPL 2022 Auction, the Chennai Super Kings did what the Chennai Super Kings usually do. They kept the faith. Nine of the players signed by the defending champions were playing for CSK last season and that, if nothing else, ensures a great deal of continuity for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team.
There are a few who got away though. The experienced Faf du Plessis was a big miss as was Shardul Thakur, especially when one considers how well he has come along as an allrounder in the past year.
For coach Stephen Fleming and Dhoni, the key will once be to get the best out of the available players and even help a few like Shivam Dube to level up. Devon Conway might help them fill the void left by the absence of du Plessis. And Deepak Chahar, their big spend at the auction, might even be called upon to do more with the bat this season.
CSK set up unlike any other team in the league. They do things differently and find a way to make it work. It’ll be interesting to see whether they can make it work once again.
Players signed up by CSK in auction
| Full name | Price (Rs cr) | Times over base price | Country | State Association | Age | Specialism | 2021 Team | C/U/A | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepak Chahar | 14.00 | 7.00 | India | RCA | 29 | BOWLER | CSK | Capped | 200 |
| Ambati Rayudu | 6.75 | 3.38 | India | ACA | 36 | WICKETKEEPER | CSK | Capped | 200 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 4.40 | 2.20 | West Indies | 38 | ALL-ROUNDER | CSK | Capped | 200 | |
| Shivam Dube | 4.00 | 8.00 | India | MCA | 28 | ALL-ROUNDER | RR | Capped | 50 |
| Chris Jordan | 3.60 | 1.80 | England | 33 | ALL-ROUNDER | PBKS | Capped | 200 | |
| Robin Uthappa | 2.00 | 1.00 | India | KCA | 36 | BATSMAN | CSK | Capped | 200 |
| Mitchell Santner | 1.90 | 1.90 | New Zealand | 30 | ALL-ROUNDER | CSK | Capped | 100 | |
| Adam Milne | 1.90 | 1.27 | New Zealand | 29 | BOWLER | MI | Capped | 150 | |
| Rajvardhan Hangargekar | 1.50 | 5.00 | India | MACA | 19 | ALL-ROUNDER | Uncapped | 30 | |
| Prashant Solanki | 1.20 | 6.00 | India | MCA | 22 | BOWLER | Uncapped | 20 | |
| Devon Conway | 1.00 | 1.00 | New Zealand | 30 | BATSMAN | Capped | 100 | ||
| Maheesh Theekshana | 0.70 | 1.40 | Sri Lanka | 21 | BOWLER | Capped | 50 | ||
| Dwaine Pretorius | 0.50 | 1.00 | South Africa | 33 | ALL-ROUNDER | Capped | 50 | ||
| C.Hari Nishaanth | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | TNCA | 25 | BATSMAN | CSK | Uncapped | 20 |
| N. Jagadeesan | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | TNCA | 26 | WICKETKEEPER | CSK | Uncapped | 20 |
| K.M. Asif | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | KCA | 28 | BOWLER | CSK | Uncapped | 20 |
| Tushar Deshpande | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | MCA | 26 | BOWLER | Uncapped | 20 | |
| Simarjeet Singh | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | DDCA | 24 | BOWLER | MI | Uncapped | 20 |
| Subhranshu Senapati | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | OCA | 25 | BATSMAN | Uncapped | 20 | |
| Mukesh Choudhary | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | MACA | 25 | BOWLER | Uncapped | 20 | |
| K.Bhagath Varma | 0.20 | 1.00 | India | HYCA | 23 | ALL-ROUNDER | CSK | Uncapped | 20 |
Possible Best Playing XI
Devon Conway will come into the XI at the top of the order, Shivam Dube should slot into the finisher role but almost everything else in the batting line-up will have a tried and tested feel to it. That is CSK’s biggest strength. But for CSK to have a good run, it will be vital for Ruturaj Gaikwad’s career to continue its upward trajectory. Moeen Ali will give them good balance as will MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwyane Bravo (when he plays). They can play around with the line-up because they have so many utility players. They also have some proper firepower in the pace attack. Chahar takes wickets with the new ball, Milne can be quick and Jordan can be superb at the death.
CSK full squad and best XI
| CSK | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruturaj Gaikwad | 6 | RH | |
| 2 | Devon Conway | 1 | OS | |
| 3 | Moeen Ali | 8 | OS | LH/OB |
| 4 | Ambati Rayudu | 6.75 | ||
| 5 | Shivam Dube | 4 | ||
| 6 | MS Dhoni | 12 | RH | |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja | 16 | LH/SLA | |
| 8 | Chris Jordan | 3.6 | OS | |
| 9 | Deepak Chahar | 14 | ||
| 10 | Adam Milne | 1.9 | OS | |
| 11 | Rajvardhan Hangargekar | 1.5 | ||
| 12 | Robin Uthappa | 2 | ||
| 13 | DJ Bravo | 4.4 | ||
| 14 | Tushar Deshpande | 0.2 | ||
| 15 | Simarjeet Singh | 0.2 | ||
| 16 | Dwaine Pretorius | 0.5 | OS | |
| 17 | Mitchell Santner | 1.9 | OS | |
| 18 | Maheesh Theekshana | 0.7 | OS | |
| 19 | Subhranshu Senapati | 0.2 | ||
| 20 | Prashant Solanki | 1.2 | ||
| 21 | Mukesh Choudhary | 0.2 | ||
| 22 | C.Hari Nishaanth | 0.2 | ||
| 23 | N. Jagadeesan | 0.2 | ||
| 24 | KM Asif | 0.2 | OS | |
| 25 | K.Bhagath Varma | 0.2 | ||
| REMAINING PURSE | 2.95 |
Strengths
The biggest strength is M S Dhoni. He knows and understands the format and demands the right things from his team. The control tower gives out the orders and the team is expected to follow. They set out the rules early and let every player know the role they are expected to play. After that, there are a few deviations to the plan. It allows players to prepare well and then produce the performances the team needs.
The other thing that stands out about CSK is how the veterans in the outfit respond to pressure. While some of the other teams panic, CSK just find a way to raise their level. This is also why they have many veterans in the line-up... there are few scenarios that haven’t been experienced by the players in the unit.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was very impressive last season and CSK will hope he can continue in the same vein. He scored plenty of runs and did them in fine style as well. The fact that CSK retained him shows that he has earned Dhoni’s trust and that is a big thing.
Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best spin-bowling allrounder in the country. His batting has come along very well, his fielding is world class and he can keep things relatively tight with the ball.
Weaknesses
While the top order seems largely sorted, their biggest problem in the coming season might be how they finish the innings. Dhoni is not the finisher he once was and Dube can be pretty inconsistent in this regard too. Jadeja can bat but will he have enough partners around? Finishing well assumes even greater significance in T20 cricket and this CSK team might be found wanting in that aspect.
The fast bowling line-up might be a bit suspect too. Adam Milne can go for plenty and Chris Jordan hasn’t found consistency in the IPL. They replace Shardul Thakur and Josh Hazlewood in the line-up and that means they will have to up their levels a fair bit. They will, of course, have really good advice to fall back on but will that be enough?
CSK aren’t perfect and they know it too. But they usually find a way to plug the holes and given that they had an auction to invest in some proper talent, one can wonder whether they did well. It was a chance to reset and really plan for the future.
Who’s saying what
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan: “Yesterday, out of the ten players, nine were ex-CSK players. We had planned as we normally do and the credit goes to the skipper and coach. We picked players as per their wish. We thought the best replacement could be Devon Conway, because he has been doing well. Fleming has seen him in New Zealand. Milne has been in the IPL earlier, and we couldn’t afford Josh, so he replaces him well.”
Viswanathan added: “Deepak Chahar has been the most consistent player for us and he has been doing well in his batting as well. Given what he has done for CSK, we knew we had to go after him. We were disappointed at missing Faf. Thakur and him were a crucial part of the team over the last few years. It was disappointing to let them go because we didn’t have the money for them.”