Chennai Super Kings will march into the IPL 2024 season as the defending champions, but before that, they do have a significant task at hand in the upcoming IPL 2024 mini-auction said to be held on December 19th in Dubai. CSK will be once again led by the talismanic skipper, MS Dhoni.
CSK was among the most silent teams during the IPL trades but did let go of as many as 8 players during the IPL retentions. This includes Ben Stokes, who is not available for selection, and veteran batter Ambati Rayudu, who retired post-last season.
CSK Retained and Released Players
CSK’s current squad: MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway (wk), Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana
CSK released players: Ben Stokes, Dwaine Pretorius, Bhagath Varma, Subhranshu Senapati, Ambati Rayudu, Akash Singh, Kyle Jamieson, Sisanda Magala
Purse remaining: 31.4 crores
The men in yellow always seem to have players to step up on different occasions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have any weaknesses. Even in the last season, CSK didn’t always have the best of bowling resources or big names in their charts. But it was the team effort that got them through to a record-equalling 5th IPL title.
They cannot always rely on such magical season after season and it is time that the team management address these holes. And the IPL 2024 mini-auction is the perfect time for CSK to make their side a complete one.
What are some of the weaknesses in their present squad?
At the onset, we can say that the pace department has been an issue for CSK over the last few seasons. Though players like Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande, along with Mukesh, did a great job, their over-reliance on their only experienced pacer, Deepak Chahar (out injured for a large part of the season), was visible.
So they will look to fill the fast bowlers void and might want to snare a couple of pacers in the auctions (both domestic and overseas). The other area CSK might want to look into is their middle-order batting. With Rayudu gone, there is room for an Indian batter to fill in for a significant role.
Players whom CSK will target in the IPL 2024 mini-auction?
Mitchell Starc
The Aussie pacer has made himself available for the 2024 auction, and as we have established that CSK might want to bolster their bowling arsenal, Starc might be a good fit into the CSK scheme of things. With 31.4 crores at their disposal, CSK can afford to go huge for this lanky paceman from Australia.
Pat Cummins
CSK will need an overseas pacer, and another overseas star who can set the auctions ablaze is World Cup-winning Aussie skipper Pat Cummins. If they don’t go for Starc at the auctions, CSK might very well have a lookout for Cummins.
Daryl Mitchell
Ben Stokes looked like a great selection for CSK because of his world-class all-round prowess, but unfortunately, Stokes was injured for the majority of last season, and now he has been released by the franchise. So this makes a spot vacant, and someone like Daryl Mitchell can easily fit into the team.
Manish Pandey and Karun Nair
The Chennai Super Kings are a side that always looks to pack their middle-order with Indian batters, and this has always given them success over the years. With Rayudu not there, CSK might look to invest in the other best-available Indan middle-order options, and the two of them who can fit that role are experienced Manish Pandey and Karun Nair. The duo has been prolific in the domestic circuit, and it won’t be a surprise if CSK goes for either one of them.
Kartik Tyagi
Kartik Tyagi is tipped to be the most expensive uncapped player in this coming auction, and CSK has the purse to go all-out for this young pacer. Though not boasting an impressive IPL record, this speedster has had many raising their eyeballs and is a hot commodity among the Indian domestic pacers. As CSK looks to strengthen its bowling unit, Tyagi might fit into the team.
Umesh Yadav
CSK has a habit of adding experience to their squad, and Umesh Yadav is one of the most experienced Indian pacers in the IPL. So it won’t be a surprise if Umesh is a Super King at the end of the auction.
