IPL 2023: Matthew Hayden Feels Ben Stokes Will Be the X Factor for Csk, thee Franchise Could Unlock His Potential in T20 Cricket

Ben Stokes IPL: The new IPL season will be underway in the next week as Gujarat Titans will take on Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The tickets have already sold out for the blockbuster match.

Chennai Super Kings had a tough going in the Indian Premier League last season. They weren’t at their best which is why they had to finish in 9th position with only 8 points in 14 matches.

This was their worst performance ever in an IPL season. Chennai Super Kings has been a franchise that qualified for playoffs every season but the last IPL season was their first without qualifying for playoffs.

None of their players looked sharp despite having huge potential. Part of it was also because Chennai Super Kings had a below-average IPL auction in November.

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Chennai Super Kings were also dealt with a huge blow with Ravindra Jadeja out in the middle itself. It was a controversy where Ravindra Jadeja didn’t feel right after getting removed from the captaincy post.

However, things went better after the conclusion of the season as CSK management and MS Dhoni got a chance to convince Ravindra Jadeja from leaving the franchise. 

IPL 2023: Matthew Hayden feels Ben Stokes will be the X factor for CSK

Chennai Super Kings had a balanced auction as they went on to sign Ben Stokes for record figures. Since Dwayne Bravo’s era came to an end, Ben Stokes was seen as a like-to-like replacement. 

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Former Chennai Super Kings player Matthew Hayden feels that Ben Stokes could be their X factor this season. Moreover, since Ben Stoked hasn’t realized his IPL potential, CSK could unlock it.

Matthew Hayden said, “Stokes will be the X factor for CSK who has never realised his potential in the IPL and he is one of those players and we see him play all over the world. Now, under a CSK regime where it’s all about cricket, I think that he’s got a big chance to be the X factor this season.”

He further added, “For me, the player to watch out for is always Jadeja. He is a quality all-rounder. CSK have got some world-class all-rounders, including who they’ve signed now – Ben Stokes. But with Jaddu at the best of his best, he can really drive a great outcome for CSK, this season.”

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