Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending champions, have made some good additions to their roster ahead of the IPL 2024. CSK paid 14 crore to recruit New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, while also spending 8.4 crore to sign uncapped Indian all-rounder Sameer Rizvi.
To bolster their all-rounder lineup, Chennai Super Kings re-signed Shardul Thakur for 4 crore and signed Rachin Ravindra from New Zealand for 1.8 crore. It is worth noting that CSK previously had a champion side that hoisted the title in Ahmedabad six months ago, and they now have a slew of new alternatives. Here is the entire team:
This article will look at three reasons why Chennai Super Kings has the finest squad in IPL 2024.
3. CSK find suitable replacements for Rayudu and Stokes in the IPL auction
CSK have lost two key players ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. Ambati Rayudu, who announced his retirement from the IPL earlier this year, was the first. The second name was Ben Stokes, who missed the 2024 season owing to scheduling conflicts.
To compensate for Rayudu’s absence, CSK bid aggressively for uncapped Indian star Sameer Rizvi during the auction. Rizvi has the quickest hundred in the UPT20 League, in case you didn’t know. He is well-known for his strong batting against spin spinners.
Next, Chennai paid a lot of money to replace Ben Stokes. While Daryl Mitchell is not quite on Stokes’ level, he has demonstrated that he can score big in pressure circumstances, and CSK like such players.
2. Backups for every position in IPL 2024
MS Dhoni may struggle to select a starting XI this time around since the roster is stacked with talented players. The top-order hitters will include Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, and Ajinkya Rahane, although CSK also has Rachin Ravindra.
Similarly, the Chennai-based franchise has signed Mustafizur Rahman as a backup for Matheesha Pathirana. With Shardul Thakur and Mukesh Choudhary returning in the lineup, last season’s standout performer Tushar Deshpande may not make the XI.
CSK thus checked off a lot of boxes during the auction.
3. The MS Dhoni factor
MS Dhoni has won five IPL titles as captain. Even when he did not have the strongest squad on his side, he managed to make the most out of the given resources and deliver for the Chennai Super Kings.
Captain Cool has assembled a strong team this time. CSK appear to be stronger than ever with him as captain. It would not be surprising if Chennai won their sixth IPL title in 2024.