CSK buys best player as Stokes, Mumbai Indians see future in Green
The Chennai Super Kings management is known for its pragmatism and understanding and it made the best decision for the team by buying England Test captain and world’s best all-rounder Ben Stokes in the ‘mini auction’ for the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Friday. . Behind this decision of Chennai, its future plans are clearly visible that when Mahendra Singh Dhoni will say goodbye, then there will not be much difficulty in handling the responsibility of captaincy.
The Mumbai Indians team has been in transition for the last two years and made some awkward decisions at the big auction last season but now they have bought Cameron Green, a skill similar to Stokes. Sunrisers Hyderabad have included Harry Brooks in their squad but they needed to buy players to stabilize their bowling line-up. Chennai Super Kings buys Ben Stokes (Rs 16.25 cr), Ajinkya Rahane (Rs 50 lacs). Dhoni’s simple mantra is to depend on the senior players.
With the IPL now returning to the ‘home and away’ format, the team will have to play seven home matches at Chepauk which will not help the batsmen. Dwayne Bravo was an important player for Dhoni and he wanted a player like him. That’s why the team looked for an all-rounder who can take advantage of the Chennai pitch with his versatility in 16 to 20 overs. Chennai’s line-up is Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu / Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja. This is a dream T20 batting line-up on any surface.
Stokes can open in both batting or bowling if required. Mumbai Indians buys Cameron Green (Rs 17.50 cr), Jhye Richardson (Rs 1.50 cr). Recovering from disappointing decisions last time, they bought the ideal player in Cameron Green, who is 23 years old and fits into the team’s scheme. Green and fellow Australian Tim David can be dangerous on the Wankhede pitch with their powerful hitting.
In this, Ishaan Kishan, Dewald Brewis and NT Tilak Verma have also been included, who can create trouble for the opponent. However, there is some concern over the bowling attack as Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer are returning from injuries. It was a good decision for the team to include Richardson, who can be the back-up foreign bowler to Jofra. Punjab Kings have relied on Sam Karen (Rs 18.5 cr) and Sikandar Raza (Rs 50 lakh). Most of the team’s records have been off the field and this includes making Karen the most expensive player sold in IPL history.
Karen was kept at a base price of Rs 2 crore after his T20 World Cup performance but the fierce competition in the auction resulted in him being sold for over Rs 18 crore. Team owner Ness Wadia won the auction. Lucknow Supergiants bought Nicholas Pooran (Rs 16 cr) and Daniel Sams (Rs 75 lac). The team had already reached the playoffs in the previous IPL season but the 2023 season will be a bit trickier for them.
The team is not sure whether they will get left-arm fast bowler Mohsin Khan, who underwent elbow surgery. And the decision to include Pooran as a finisher instead of an all-rounder is disappointing. Also, Quinton Dickock is also included in the team, so it will be interesting to see who will do the wicketkeeping. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Harry Brook (Rs 13.25 cr), Mayank Agarwal (Rs 8.25 cr) and Heinrich Klaasen (Rs 5.25 cr).
The team had over Rs 42 crores in hand and spent over Rs 20 crores to buy England’s Brooke and Indian opener Mayank Agarwal. Agarwal is currently on the run from the Indian team but has been a dependable player in the IPL, barring last season. In his form, the team also gets the option of captaincy. Many refer to Brook as the ‘Virat Kohli of England’ who will have to fit into the middle order.
Gujarat Titans included Shivam Mavi (Rs 6 cr), KS Bharath (Rs 1.2 cr) and Kane Williamson (Rs 2 cr). Defending champions Gujarat, along with coach Ashish Nehra, made some shrewd decisions at the auction. Mukesh Kumar (Rs 5.50 crore), Phil Salt (Rs 2 crore), Ishant Sharma (Rs 50 lakh) preferred in Delhi Capitals. The team made the right decisions in selecting their players. Mukesh Kumar was their net bowler last season who is now playing regularly for India A.
Given his ability to swing the ball, he can be a good option in the powerplay. But it was best to buy Salt, who tore apart the Pakistani bowlers in the T20 series before the T20 World Cup. There couldn’t have been a better player for Rs 2 crore. Buying Ishant Sharma at base price is also not bad. N Jagadishan (Rs 90 lakhs), Vaibhav Arora (Rs 60 lakhs) from Kolkata Knight Riders.
The team didn’t have much money left but it did them good to buy Jagadishan, who has done well in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, and that too for less than Rs 1 crore. Will Jaques (Rs 3.2 crore) and Reece Topley (Rs 1.90 crore) to Royal Challengers Bangalore. England’s left-arm bowler Topley had recently troubled India at Lord’s, so it was a good buy to buy him and batsman Jaques. The team showed interest in a few more players but did not have much money left with them.
Rajasthan Royals bought Jason Holder for Rs 5.75 crore. After Stokes’ departure, the team needed a fast bowling all-rounder and Stokes and Green were out of reach for Rs 13 crore. So they took Holder who could be a good option at the Sawai Man Singh ground.
