Aakash Chopra feels the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) already have a competitive lineup and are not overly reliant on foreign players as the IPL 2024 auction begins on Tuesday in Dubai.
Before the auction, the Chennai-based franchise released eight players. They have a residual budget of 31.4 crore and may only sign six players, three of whom must be foreigners.
Aakash Chopra asserted in a video posted to his YouTube channel that the Chennai Super Kings have a solid abroad contingent but are not overly reliant on them. He went on to say:
“They don’t have overdependence on overseas players. They stick with whoever they pick. They get Devon Conway to bat up the order, get Moeen Ali in the middle, and then they keep Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana. This is exactly the four people you get to see playing eight out of 10 times.”
The former India opener believes the reigning champions can improve even further. He reasoned as follows:
“They haven’t released too many people. The team was complete last year as well and they have chances to make it even stronger this year because, barring Akash Singh and Ambati Rayudu, none of the other players released were playing in the XI regularly.”
Chopra believes Akash Singh’s release will have no negative influence on CSK because Mukesh Choudhary is back in the mix. While noting that Ambati Rayudu was frequently used as an Impact Player, he suggested that they may find a good substitute for him at the auction.
“They have a magician named MS Dhoni” – Aakash Chopra on what makes CSK special
Aakash Chopra stated that MS Dhoni’s presence distinguishes CSK. He stated:
“What makes Chennai special? It’s a very simple thing. They have a magician named MS Dhoni – a calculator, a computer. He is a calculator or a computer because he buys the right players at the right price.”
Aakash Chopra
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster continued, saying that the lucky captain is skilled at getting the most out of his team. He said:
“Then he is someone who gets the best out of people. Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube – there are so many examples of players who went to different places and their performances were decent but as soon as they came here, they became match-winning players.”
Aakash Chopra
In 14 innings of IPL 2023, Shivam Dube scored 418 runs with a strike rate of 158.33. Ajinkya Rahane, who was purchased at the last auction, pounded out 326 runs in 11 innings with a strike rate of 172.48.