IPL 2023: With 11 playoffs appearances in 15 seasons, Chennai Super Kings have been the most successful side in the Indian Premier League (IPL), However, the franchise tastes victory in four out of 14 league matches and could not seal the place in the playoffs in the 2022 edition.
As a result, Chennai Super Kings decided to release many players ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. It also included their premier all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who retired from the tournament and will be the bowling coach for the team in IPL 2023.
In the IPL 2023 auction, Chennai Super Kings purchased quality players including Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, and Kyle Jamieson. Further, they bought domestic Nishant Sindhu, Bhagath Varma, Ajay Mandal, and Shaik Rasheed. However, there may be a few players, who are not likely to get a chance in the 2023 season.
READ MORE: IPL 2023: Top 3 Players Who Might be the “Impact Player” for the Chennai Super Kings
1. Mitchell Santner
The talented spin all-rounder, Mitchell Santner has been an impressive performer across all formats for New Zealand. He has the ability to pick wickets and help his respective teams to prevail in crunch moments. In 148 T20s, Santner has scalped 150 wickets and scored 1,511 runs.
Since making his IPL debut in 2019, the 30-year-old has bagged 10 wickets and contributed 54 runs. Clearly, he has got a limited chance due to the high competition between the all-rounders.
With the acquisition of Stokes, Chennai Super Kings are likely to play with spinners like Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, and Maheesh Theekshana. It also signals there will be no place for Santner in the Playing XI.
2. Nishant Sindhu
The all-rounder Nishant Sindhu shot to fame after doing well for the Indian team in the U-19 World Cup 2021/22. He contributed 140 runs and bagged six wickets to help the side in lifting the title. Sindhu was bought by the franchise in the IPL 2023 auction for a bid of INR 60 Lakhs.
The bid was due to his consistent performances in white-ball tournaments like Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. After the auction, the youngster returned with two centuries in the Ranji Trophy. However, Chennai Super Kings have plenty of all-rounders like Jadeja and Moeen Ali and are unlikely to be on the radar.
3. Prashant Solanki
The talented spinner hasn’t got enough opportunities with the state, Mumbai in the domestic circuit. To date, he has bagged as many wickets in five appearances. This is due to the impressive form of other players on the side. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022, Solanki took two wickets in as many matches, but at an expensive economy of 11.14.
In the last season, he was given an opportunity by Chennai Super Kings in place of the injured Jadeja, wherein he bagged two wickets at an efficient economy of 6.33. However, with Jadeja’s comeback and the presence of Theekshana and Moeen Ali, Solanki is likely to warm the benches throughout the IPL 2023 season.
Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 2023: MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.
