The legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes Chennai Super Kings may bid for rising star Rachin Ravindra at the 2024 IPL auction. However, CSK likely won’t overspend to get him, predicts Sunil Gavaskar.
CSK has a leftover budget of 31.40 crore and may sign up to six players, three of whom must be foreigners. They may attempt to sign an overseas all-rounder now that Ben Stokes has been freed ahead of the auction.
Sunil Gavaskar was questioned on Star Sports whether CSK will attempt to recruit Ravindra, to which he replied:
“I don’t think they will go for him because they have options. As you said, they have Moeen Ali who can play at No. 3. They also have Mitchell Santner as a bowler. They will come in the bidding but they won’t be desperate for Rachin Ravindra.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Ravindra finished the 2023 ODI World Cup as the fourth-highest run scorer, scoring 578 runs at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.44 in 10 innings. Additionally, he claimed five wickets at a respectable economy rate of 5.98, which might come in useful on the Chepauk surface, which is often spin-friendly.
Irfan Pathan suggests CSK to look for backup seamers due to injury woes
Irfan Pathan was also questioned about other players the Chennai Super Kings may try to sign. He responded:
“What all things do Chennai Super Kings need to keep in mind? Firstly, they have had a lot of problems with injured fast bowlers. Mukesh (Choudhary) had that problem and that is why he missed the IPL.”
Irfan Pathan
CSK, according to the former India all-rounder, require backups for their injury-prone seamers. He went on to say:
“Deepak (Chahar) has had that problem. He gets injured regularly. So you would need a backup for him. (Matheesha) Pathirana has also had that problem. So you would want a backup for him as well.”
Irfan Pathan
Pathan also stated that Harshal Patel’s possible acquisition may allow them to get Daryl Mitchell as an additional middle-order hitter. He elaborated:
“If they can get a good Indian fast bowler, they can play an additional overseas batter. I am thinking that supposedly if they get Harshal Patel, they can leave out Pathirana, make Harshal Patel a part of the playing XI, and play a batter like Daryl Mitchell in the middle order.”
Irfan Pathan
Pathan pointed out that such a tactic may compensate for the departure of a player like Ambati Rayudu, who used to bat fiercely and spin effectively. Mitchell, he noted, may fly under the radar while being a seasoned and talented player.