Chennai Super Kings habitually have separate maneuvering while congregating their team when you correlate it with the other franchises. While other franchises indulge in expensive buys to strengthen their squads, CSK is quite far from this tactic.
Of course, they have made a few big buys, but it is in cheaper and experienced options that CSK always relies upon. At times, the team also proffers opportunities to budding cricketers in their pursuit. The management of the team believes in team-chemistry and bonding to deliver the results.
Whenever CSK spent big, the results have been successful. Be it for MS Dhoni or Ravindra Jadeja, CSK has been lucky in this aspect. Of course, there have been a few misgivings too. In this article, we discuss five failed expensive signings made by CSK. These players were paid the huge bucks, but unfortunately, so far, they haven’t been able to justify their price-tags.
1. Andrew Flintoff – INR 7.5 Crores (2009)
After CSK successfully spent INR 6 crores on MS Dhoni for season 1, the team further went a step ahead and spilled INR 7.5 crores on English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in 2009. However, unfortunately, the investment backfired heavily for the franchise.
An injury-plagued cricketer, Flintoff failed to give CSK a proper all-round option. The tall player donned the CSK-jersey thrice and could contribute with just 62 runs and two wickets. His batting strike-rate of 117 and the economy of 9.54 was also disappointing. Flintoff never played IPL cricket again after this short stint.
2. Kedar Jadhav – INR 7.8 Crores (2018)
CSK paid the highest for Kedar Jadhav in the mega-auctions of 2018. The value looked explained then because Kedar was coming off an impressive assignment with RCB. He was also doing well in the Indian Team.
However, Kedar is yet to justify his price tag. While a season was lost to injury, the Maharashtra man scored just 162 runs despite playing 14 matches last season. This edition, too, Kedar is yet to fire. The experienced player has also not been used by MSD in the bowling department, further adding to the overall disappointment.
3. Karn Sharma – INR 5 Crores (2018)
Karn Sharma yet again made news at the auctions as CSK shelled out INR 5 crores for the Railways cricketer in 2018. He was bought as a reliable option in the spin-department while also a choice to strengthen the batting at No.8 if the need arose.
For Karn, opportunities have been hard to come by. Imran Tahir has been extremely successful for the franchise, thereby limiting his opportunities. He got to play four games in 2018 while he had to be satisfied with just one outing in 2019. This season too, the chances are looking bleak. Piyush Chawla’s arrival makes it tougher for the player. CSK would inevitably release him ahead of the upcoming auctions.
4. Mohit Sharma – INR 5 Crores (2019)
Mohit Sharma’s comeback to CSK in 2019 did not go in the fancied way. After a brilliant start to his IPL career where he racked up over 20 wickets in the first two seasons, Mohit could not sustain his form in the tournament.
Nevertheless, in 2019, CSK spent a chunk of their purse in bringing him back to the Chepauk. However, the investment didn’t click as Mohit got only one game to prove his credentials. He didn’t fire in this game, as he conceded 27 runs in the 18 balls he bowled. CSK released him later and broke the alliance.
5. Jacob Oram – INR 2.7 Crores (2008)
A quality all-rounder, Jacob Oram did not turn up exceptional for CSK. The team paid a whopping amount of INR 2.7 crores in 2008, but the Kiwi player just could not justify his price-tag.
The first two editions combined, Oram scored 106 runs and just took eight wickets only for the franchise. For a player of his caliber and based on the expectations CSK had on him, Oram can be considered as a failure signing for CSK.
