The IPL 2023 Auction was held in Kochi on December 23, and prior to that, the IPL trading window had closed on Tuesday, November 15 at 5 PM. All 10 participating franchises had rejigged their respective squads and submitted the list of retained and released players to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) well in advance of the auction.
The four-time champions Chennai Super Kings also made changes to their side as they aimed for a record-equaling fifth IPL crown in the 2023 edition. Besides making new additions, the ‘Yellow Army’ also had to make some tough decisions to remove some players after a disappointing 2022 season where they finished second-last on the points table.
It was no surprise that the legendary skipper MS Dhoni was a sure-shot retention for IPL 2023 and would continue as their captain for the next season. The star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also got retained despite rumours of him being at loggerheads with the team management.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was the Orange Cap winner of CSK’s victorious 2021 season, had a forgettable 2022. Nonetheless, the franchise backed him by retaining him.
The Chennai Super Kings showed faith in bowling all-rounder Deepak Chahar by giving him another chance to prove his mettle in the next season. Chahar, who was CSK’s costliest buy last year, could not compete due to multiple injuries that had sidelined him for months. He was paid a staggering INR 14 crore.
Auction Day Performance
The Chennai Super Kings have proven time and time again that they are the masters of tactical planning during the auctions. Although they may take their time to get going, they always manage to unearth some seriously talented players, and this time was no different. In a stunning move, they secured the services of England all-rounder Ben Stokes for a whopping INR 16.25 crore, undoubtedly one of CSK’s best purchases, which bolstered their squad in a brilliant manner.
While many anticipated that they would go for Sam Curran, it was a shock when CSK went all-in for Stokes. With a purse of INR 20.45 crore and seven slots to fill, including two overseas slots, CSK made some surprising purchases at the IPL 2023 auction and bet big on Stokes.
Stokes has previously played alongside skipper MS Dhoni for the Rising Pune Supergiant and his inclusion will undoubtedly work wonders for the team, particularly with Dwayne Bravo retiring from the IPL. Additionally, they added Ajinkya Rahane, who put up some fiercely competitive performances last year while representing KKR. As Robin Uthappa exited the scenario, signing Rahane was a shrewd and tactical move.
CSK is no stranger to purchasing uncapped and unknown players during the auction, who later turn out to be game-changers and match-winners for the team. In this year’s auction, they secured the services of Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal and Bhagath Verma to complete their 25-member squad.
The Final Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 2023
Wicket Keeper/Batsman
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C)
Ambati Rayudu
Batsmen
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Devon Conway
Subhranshu Senapati
Ajinkya Rahane
Shaik Rasheed
All-Rounders
Moeen Ali
Shivam Dube
Dwaine Pretorius
Ravindra Jadeja
Bowlers
Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Mitchell Santner
Tushar Deshpande
Mukesh Chowdhary
Matheesha Pathirana
Simarjeet Singh
Deepak Chahar
Prashant Solanki
Maheesh Theekshana
