England’s Ben Stokes was always going to be a big attraction at the IPL 2023 auction. The all-rounder was expected to fetch big bucks in the mini-auction along with Sam Curran and Cameron Green, and that is exactly how it turned out.
Stokes was snapped by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a hefty sum of INR 16.25 Crore, making him the joint-third most expensive buy in the history of IPL auctions.
With this deal, CSK might have also found their future captain. Notably, the four-time champions have been searching for legendary MS Dhoni's replacement as a skipper.
Ravindra Jadeja was appointed Super Kings’ captain for the IPL 2022 as Dhoni stepped down from the position two days ahead of the season. However, the all-rounder failed to make a mark as a leader. Under him, Chennai won just two out of the first eight games and as a result, he decided to relinquish the post, handing over the job back to Dhoni.
Therefore, CSK securing the services of Stokes, who has led the England Test side brilliantly of late, has left fans wondering if he is being seen as a leader for the future.
In fact, former CSK vice-captain Suresh Raina also feels that Dhoni would groom Ben Stokes as a future captain.
"Surely, MS will groom Stokes. He is a world champion and did really very well in the T20 World Cup for the team. He also led his team to a Test series win in Pakistan. So, he is in a good frame of mind. Also, his cricketing brain will be very useful for the youngsters at the Chennai camp. The Chennai crowd is going to love him. I just hope he enjoys and does a lot of 'Whistle Podu' for CSK," Raina said while speaking to CricketNext.
Besides Stokes, CSK also roped in veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane at the IPL 2023 mini-auction. This means Dhoni, Rahane and Stokes will share the dressing room for the first time since IPL 2017, when they had turned up for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants together.
"Both Ben Stokes and Ajinkya Rahane have shared the dressing room with Dhoni bhai for the Pune franchise. It's a very-very good pick. Also, Mumbai Indians getting Sam Curran and Cameron Green; if someone can replace Kieron Pollard in the MI camp, it has to be Green. And when this Mumbai Indians team will play at their home ground, it's going to be fireworks all around," Raina added.
