Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending IPL champions, have announced their squad for the upcoming IPL 2024 season after the mini-auction that took place in Dubai on December 19. The franchise, led by MS Dhoni, retained most of their key players and also made some smart signings to bolster their strength.
CSK had a budget of Rs 32.1 crore and used it to buy four players from other teams. They were:
- Rachin Ravindra, a left-arm spinner from Rajasthan Royals, for Rs 1.80 crore.
- Shardul Thakur, a fast bowler from Mumbai Indians, for Rs 4 crore.
- Daryl Mitchell, a right-handed batsman from Delhi Capitals, for Rs 14 crore.
- Sameer Rizvi, a left-arm spinner from Punjab Kings, for Rs 8.4 crore.
These four players added value to CSK’s squad and gave them more depth and variety in their bowling attack and batting order.
CSK also retained their captain MS Dhoni, who is one of the most successful captains in IPL history with five titles to his name. He was bought back by CSK for Rs 12 crore after he opted out of the IPL 2022 season due to his knee injury.
CSK also retained their star batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 704 runs in IPL 2023 at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 136.67. He was bought back by CSK for Rs 6 crore after he was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore at the end of IPL 2022.
CSK also retained their other key players like Devon Conway, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana and Ajinkya Rahane. These players were part of CSK’s core group that won the IPL title in IPL 2023.
CSK also retained some promising young talents like Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh and Nishant Sindhu. These players have shown potential and can be groomed into future stars.
CSK also released some players who were not part of their plans or who had poor performances in IPL 2023. They were:
- Ambati Rayudu, who scored only 216 runs in IPL 2023 at an average of 18.33 and a strike rate of 115.76.
- Suresh Raina, who scored only 156 runs in IPL 2023 at an average of 16.50 and a strike rate of 115.76.
- Ravindra Jadeja, who scored only one century and two fifties in IPL
