Cricketer-turned-commenter Aakash Chopra opined on the kind of players that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might target at the IPL 2022 auction. He believes that defending champions don’t go after the young players and like to pick ‘ripened’ players.
Chennai Super Kings will be entering the IPL 2022 auction with a purse of INR 48 crores. They chose to retain premier all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as their first pick for INR 16 Crores with skipper MS Dhoni the second pick, worth 12 Crores, along with Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad being the other two retentions for INR 8 and 6 Crores respectively.
They have often been criticised for the age of their players but that experience has been vital for them and has been the main reason for their two titles victories since their comeback after the fixing scandal in 2018.
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With just a few days remaining for the IPL 2022 auction, which will take place in Bengaluru on 12th and 13th February, it won’t be surprising if CSK yet again targets experienced players ahead of the youngsters, when a total of 590 players will go under the hammer.
Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said CSK’s strategy and philosophy are to focus on experienced players rather than youngsters. He mentioned the senoir players that are available in the IPL 2022 auction.
“Focus on the experienced players, this has been their strategy and philosophy. Dhoni likes players like that. They don’t run after youth, they don’t run after exciting talent. They like to pick ripened players. Their philosophy probably is that the known devil is better than the unknown one.
“The experienced players who will be back in the market include Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Robin Uthappa, David Warner, Bravo, Ferguson, Nathan Coulter Nile, Shakib Al Hasan and Jayant Yadav," Aakash Chopra said.
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Chopra feels that CSK will let Suresh Raina go and might again pick Robin Uthappa. He also pointed out that Shakib Al Hasan will definitely be under their radar as he suits their style.
“What will be their pecking order amongst the experienced players? I feel they will let Raina go. They might again pick Robin Uthappa extremely cheap. Shakib Al Hasan will definitely be there in their list because it suits their style," he said.
Chopra said that he won’t be surprised if CSK will pick Steve Smith in the IPL 2022 auction. He remarked that they can bring back Faf du Plessis and can also show interest in R Ashwin along with Shakib Al Hasan.
“I won’t be surprised at all if they look towards Steve Smith. Warner probably does not suit them. They might bring back Faf du Plessis. I see their interest in Faf du Plessis, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shakib Al Hasan. Steve Smith - outside chance. They won’t look towards Dinesh Karthik,” he said.
