The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to kick off in the last week of the Indian Premier League. It will be another high-voltage season of the lucrative league. The five-time champion Chennai Super Kings will defend their title among the other nine teams in this upcoming tournament. CSK made some notable changes in their squad and bought some key players at the IPL 2024 auction.
They spent INR 14 crore on Kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell at the auction, making him one of the costliest players at the event. They also signed former CSK star Shardul Thakur for INR 4 crore. CSK has already preferred former players to their team whenever they have the chance. And it can happen once again. Here we will talk about three former CSK players whom the franchise can target in case of an injury.
1. Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood was with CSK for two seasons (2020–2021). He was part of the IPL 2021 winning team. The Australian pacer has taken 12 wickets in 12 innings at an economy rate of 7.93. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore but was released. However, Hazlewood didn’t get any buyers at the auction. Hence, if CSK needs an overseas pacer, he can be on the radar.
2. Jason Holder
Not many would have known that veteran West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder was also part of the CSK team once during the 2013 season. He played 11 games for them, picking up only six wickets. But Holder has grown into a genuine all-rounder since then and is one of the best in the business when it comes to bowling. He went unsold at the auction, and Chennai may also think about it.
3. Dwaine Pretorius
Former South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius was part of the CSK squad for the last two seasons. He played a few matches as well. Overall, he played 7 games, took 6 wickets, and scored 44 runs at a strike rate of 157.14. MS Dhoni used him as a pinch-hitter on a couple of occasions. However, he was released and went unsold. So it might not be a surprise if CSK buys him back in the face of an injury.
