With just 20 Crore and 45 Lakh amount remaining in their purse after the players retained for the IPL 2023, it was still a lively Auction for the Chennai based Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023 Auction held in Kochi yesterday.
The franchise had retained a total of 18 players going into the auction, already meeting the criteria of a minimum of 18 players squad, all they needed is some backups and one and two replacements, especially a replacement for recently retired Dwayne Bravo. And did they got a replacement, England Test cricket team captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes has joined the franchise for the IPL 2023 for a sum of 16.25 crore.
The franchise also roped in Kyle Jamieson and Ajinkya Rahane among some notable names. Other than, they picked some backup players also and completed the maximum squad limit of 25 players. With all these additions, let us now predict the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL 2023 Playing Eleven.
Captain: With Ben Stokes joining the team for the season, now the question remains as to who will lead the team in the IPL 2023. Before the IPL 2022, MS Dhoni handed the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja, however, it didn’t work well for them and Dhoni had to take back the captaincy. Now with Stokes in, it is likely that Stokes might be captain, however, MS Dhoni could lead the team in IPL 2023 and Stokes could be the vice-captain and eventually taking over responsibility from IPL 2023 onwards.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Predicted Playing XI for IPL 2023
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway (Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali/Ben Stokes)
There is no expectation of a change in opening partnership. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway will lead the batting order for Chennai Super Kings. Ajinkya Rahane will be the backup option for Gaikwad while Moeen Ali or Stokes could also slot in for Conway if needed.
Middle-order: Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni
If not opening, Moeen Ali could be coming in at number 3 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with Ambati Rayudu playing at his favourite position, number 4 while MS Dhoni slotting in at number 5. He could come later as well depending on the situation and might promote Stokes and Jadeja ahead of him.
All-rounders: Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube (Rajvardhan Hangargekar)
There is no doubt that Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja will be their preferred all-rounder for the upcoming season, while Shivam Dube can be the 3rd all-rounder. However, Stokes move up to opening the inning, Dwaine Pretorius or Kyle Jamieson can replace him. Meanwhile Rajvardhan Hangargekar can step-in for Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube if needs be.
Chennai Super Kings Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana (Matheesha Pathirana)
The four preferred bowlers for Chennai Super Kings could be led by Deepak Chahar. Mukesh Choudhary and Maheesh Theekshana could round out the Playing XI. However, there is room for rotation here as well, depending on the situation and players’ role in middle-order or top order, Chennai could even field Matheesha Pathirana.
