CSK stole the show by picking the Kiwi batter Daryl Mitchell for a whooping 14 crores. Daryl Mitchell is someone who can contribute in all the 3 facets of the game and can be a part of the leadership group. It would be too early to say but it looks like CSK can retain the title.
It would be evident to conclude that the most successful team of the IPL since its inception in 2008,the yellow army of the Indian league like its shrewd tactician Captain, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) once again proved to be the most smart franchise to built up a team with smart buys and steals in the form of New Zealanders Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell.
The most successful franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) under the able leadership of talismanic and shrewd mastermind of MS Dhoni ably supported by the management led by New Zealander coach Stephen Fleming has always been a supporter of process rather than focusing on the end results which has led Chennai Super Kings to most titles 5 alongside Mumbai Indians (MI) and also guided them to most of the finals in the Mega league.
Astute tactics by CSK’s management & team
Such is the trust of the Chennai management on process and team building that their focus is always to built a team that has the amalgamation of youth and the experienced. Even their Marquee players are not priced highly thus to make sure that team comes before an individual and its the team performance which has led them to playing most number of finals and winning 5 of them in the IPL history.
This year of the Auction seemed nothing different for the Chennai based franchise who made some smart buys, some absolute steals and trust on the new talents of India to make them a finish product under the Talismanic captain MS Dhoni.
The impetus of this years auction for Chennai was mainly to construct the team which would very well be able to do well not only in the upcoming season but in the future as well finished the Auction with an absolute steal in form of World cup emerging star Rachin Ravindra whom they acquire for mere 1.80 crores INR.
Another brilliant buy was to fulfill the shoes of Ambati Rayudu a star batter who retired after the last successful season, Chennai found an able replacement in the form of uncapped Indian Sameer Rizvi whom they saw as a future and spent a whopping amount of 8.40 crores INR on this talented UP batter who had shown glimpses of his talent in the UP T20 league.
Chennai also found an able replacement for all rounder Ben Stokes whom they had bought last season for a whopping 16.25 crores only to leave him this season .However they found an able replacement in the form of New Zealand allrounder Daryll Mitchell for 14 crores INR who was successful during his National team’s stint in the Indian conditions during the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Daryl Mitchell during World Cup was the only batter to score 2 centuries against the impressive Indian bowling attack in their own backyard and could prove a vital cog in the Chennai Super King setup.
Daryl Mitchell will have to wait for his chance – RP Singh
Former Indian speedster RP Singh feels that however in order to maintain the balance of the team in the presence of England allrounder Moeen Ali, the Chennai Super Kings franchise giving impetus on building a team based on youth and experience may not even give chance to Daryl Mitchell if he doesn’t seems fit in their teams combination despite buying him for such a huge amount throughout the season.
During a discussion on Jio Cinema, Parthiv Patel opined that the Chennai Super Kings might have bought Ravindra as a cover for Devon Conway but questioned whether Mitchell would get a place in their XI. RP Singh chipped in as well and stated that:
“Some teams make their team around a player who they pick for a huge price. This is not one of those teams. They have definitely spent 14 crore rupees for Daryl Mitchell but if they feel that he can’t be a part of their XI, they might not play him in the entire season,”
Citing Ben Stokes’ example, the former India pacer added:
“We have seen that with Ben Stokes last year. That is the captaincy advantage they have, that even though someone might be an important player for them, he will have to wait if there is no place for him,”
CSK acquired Stokes for a whopping ₹16.25 crore at the IPL 2023 auction. However, he played only two games for the franchise last season, with injuries and lack of a vacant place in the XI contributing to his minimal appearances.
RP Singh was asked about the Chennai Super Kings best buy at the IPL 2024 auction, to which he responded:
“I feel Shardul Thakur because he is an Indian fast bowler with variations and gives a big option in batting. Considering that, the Chennai Super Kings got him at a very good price. I feel the Chennai Super Kings would have kept a little more money for Shardul,”
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that CSK’s bargain buy of Shardul Thakur helped them acquire Sameer Rizvi for a big price. He said:
“Chennai’s options increased when they bought Shardul at that price. They were able to save money, so they could shop for more players, and they could go after Rizvi for a longer time. According to me, Shardul Thakur was the best buy for Chennai,”
CSK bought Rizvi for ₹8.40 crore. They had a bidding war with the Gujarat Titans and the Delhi Capitals, pipping them to acquire the Uttar Pradesh batter’s services.
It would be now rather interesting to see how MS Dhoni sets up his team with these new buys alongside the retained ones in their pursuit to title defense in 2024 IPL season.