The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have discharged South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius ahead of the retention deadline on Sunday, November 26. Dwaine Pretorius thanked the team for the chance and would most likely seek a new suitor during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction on December 19.
CSK signed Dwaine Pretorius for a base price of 50 lakh in the IPL 2022 mega-auction. In the 2022 edition, he made six appearances, including a critical cameo with both the bat and the ball in the team’s legendary triumph over the Mumbai Indians (MI). The all-rounder had only one appearance in the 2023 edition, and he also confirmed his international retirement in same year.
Following his release from CSK, Dwaine Pretorius posted the following on his social media account:
“Thank you CSK. I would like to thank all the management, coaches, players, and fans for my time at CSK it was an awesome experience. All the best for season 2024.”
Dwaine Pretorius
On that point, here are three reasons why CSK’s decision to release Dwaine Pretorius is a bad one.
1. Dwaine Pretorius was a solid utility player
CSK are a process-driven team that has complete faith in their starting XI. Changes to the combination occur on a rare occasion, such as in the case of an injury or different playing circumstances.
As a result, it is tough for periphery players to break into the starting lineup. However, in a competition as competitive as the IPL, it is critical for franchises to have adaptable and high-class periphery players who can ensure that the team’s quality stays relatively constant despite their participation.
Dwaine Pretorius is a qualified all-rounder and gun fielder. He could also bat as a floater in the batting order, and having a player with so many skill sets was probably a significant advantage for the CSK team.
He could step in and perform admirably in any capacity, as seen by his limited appearances for the squad in the previous two seasons.
2. CSK Have Struggled to Find Pace Bowling All-Rounders for Their Team
CSK did had all-rounders on paper like Ben Stokes and Shivam Dube on their lineup for the 2023 season. The duo, however, played as pure batsmen, with the former only bowling one over all season.
Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Deepak Chahar, and Ravindra Jadeja were the team’s specialist bowlers. Part-time all-rounder Moeen Ali was also utilized, but there was no pace-bowling all-rounder available.
Kyle Jamieson, the team’s other pace-bowling all-rounder, was ruled out due to a back ailment, prompting Sisanda Magala to be called up as a replacement.
CSK still has a chance to sign an all-rounder through the mini-auction, but they will have to jump through numerous hoops to do so, whereas keeping Pretorius was a safer bet.
3. CSK’s death-bowling personnel is still incomplete
CSK has a confirmed death bowler in Matheesha Pathirana for the foreseeable future, but they still lack a competent final-phase bowler to compliment him. Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar have been on and off in the dying phases, making them untrustworthy in the long term.
Pretorius was undoubtedly the second-best death bowler for CSK. In the 2022 edition, he showed flashes of brilliance, striking wide yorkers and outfoxing batsmen with slower deliveries. His bowling would have also suited the typical slow surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where he did not play a single game.
CSK will have to be aggressive in the all-rounder and death bowling departments now that they have virtually completely overhauled their international squad.
Apart from Pretorius, speculations suggest that CSK is also parting ways with Kyle Jamieson, Ben Stokes, and Sisanda Magala.