Indian Premier League is undoubtedly the toughest T20 league in the world. The IPL auction plays a very crucial role in the success of franchises in the IPL. It’s a popular line that is often said: “Half the battle is won by IPL teams on the auction table itself “. Releasing the non-performing or bench players before the auctions helps teams to increase their purses for the auctions.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) led by Dhoni is one of the most consistent teams in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the biggest reasons for this outstanding performance of CSK has been the trust of team management in their players. Chennai Super Kings has announced the list of released players ahead of the IPL 2023 auction which is going to be held on 23rd December 2022.
LIST OF PLAYERS RELEASED BY CSK :
| PLAYER NAME | PLAYER ROLE | AMOUNT (INR) |
| Dwayne Bravo | All-rounder | 4.4Crore |
| Adam Milne | Pacer | 1.9 Crore |
| Chris Jordan | All-rounder | 3.6 Crore |
| Robin Uthappa (retired) | Batsman | 2 Crore |
| Narayan Jagadeesan | WK/Batsman | 20 lakh |
| Hari Nishaanth | Batsman | 20 lakh |
| KM Asif | Pacer | 20 lakh |
| Bhagath Varma | All-rounder | 20 lakh |
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is a Caribbean all-rounder who is famous for his bowling in the death overs. He is also well known for his lower-order batting. Bravo is one of the biggest T20 legends and stalwarts for CSK. Dwayne Bravo has played a massive role in the success of the Yellow Army. Bravo has picked the most number of wickets for CSK in the history of IPL.
The 39-year-old all-rounder managed to pick 16 wickets in 10 matches in the 2022 season of IPL. But Bravo leaked runs at a poor economy rate of 8.72. Chennai team management had to take a tough decision to release DJ Bravo ahead of the IPL 2023 auctions. Fitness has been one of the biggest concerns for Bravo. The Caribbean all-rounder had to miss several matches in the last 2 IPL seasons due to hamstring issues. After releasing Bravo, CSK has added 4.4 Crore to their purse. Dwayne Pretorius is likely to play the same role in the CSK team which Bravo used to perform.
Chris Jordan
Chris Jordan is a specialist death overs bowler. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 3.6 Crore. But Jordan couldn’t live up to the expectations of CSK team management. Jordan picked 2 wickets at a poor economy of 10.52 in IPL 2022. Jordan also occupied a lot of the purse of CSK which eventually led to him being released by Chennai before the IPL 2023 auction.
Adam Milne
Adam Milne is an express pace bowler who has lit up several T20 leagues with his fiery pace. But the Kiwi pacer has failed to create his impact in the IPL. CSK bought Milne for 1.9 Crore in IPL 2022 auctions. However, the journey of Adam Milne with Chennai Super Kings couldn’t last long.
New Zealand’s Milne suffered a hamstring injury in the first match of CSK against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2022. Eventually, he was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Injury issues have troubled Milne throughout his career. CSK didn’t want to take a risk with Milne and decided to release him. However, CSK decided to retain Pathirana who was called in as his replacement in IPL 2022.
Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa is one of the most legendary batsmen in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Recently, Uthappa announced his retirement from professional cricket. Robin has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL.
Uthappa also played a crucial role in the title win of CSK in IPL 2021 where he played impactful knocks in both the 1st Qualifier and the Final. As a result, Uthappa was bought by CSK in mega auctions for INR 2 Crore. He was slotted at the opening slot along with Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, with Uthappa retiring, it has added 2 Crore to the purse of Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Narayan Jagadessan
Narayan Jagadessan was one of the players released by CSK before the IPL 2023 auctions. Jagadessan has gained a lot of limelight for his mind-blowing season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 where he hit 5 consecutive centuries. Jagadessan also broke the world record for the highest-ever List A score after he smashed 277 runs in 201 balls against Arunachal Pradesh in Bengaluru.
Several fans have questioned this decision of releasing Jagadessan before the IPL 2023 auctions. However, the strike rate of Narayan Jagadessan in T20 cricket is below 120 and neither was he able to get a chance in playing XI of CSK.
Apart from them, Hari Nishaanth, Bhagath Verma, and KM Asif are other names released by CSK before the IPL 2023 auctions. All three of them had a price of 20 Lakh each.
CSK squad before IPL 2023 auctions
The consistency with which CSK qualified for playoffs over the years has been the hallmark of the Chennai-based franchise. CSK has managed to reach the playoffs in 11 out of 13 IPL seasons. However, Chennai Super Kings didn’t have a good season in the IPL in 2022. They managed to win just 4 out of 14 matches and ended in 9th position on the points table.
CSK team management had to take tough decisions before IPL 2023 auctions by identifying the pool of players which can serve them next year. Ravindra Jadeja too remained in the headlines because of rumors of the clash between CSK management and Jadeja. However, Jadeja is all set to represent CSK in IPL 2023. Here is the list of players retained by CSK
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.
CONCLUSION
IPL 2023 is going to be played in a home-and-away format. This format suits CSK a lot because they have quality spinners in the form of Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja, and Moeen Ali. They also have brilliant players of spin in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Conway, and Moeen Ali. MS Dhoni is set to continue as the captain of Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023.
A major credit for the success of Chennai Super Kings goes to the sharp mind of MS Dhoni. He has frequently brought out the best in CSK players on the field. Chennai has never looked to target big star players in the auction. We can expect the same to happen in IPL 2023 too.
CSK can look to target a No5 batsman in the form of Harry Brooks or Ben Stokes in IPL 2023 auctions.
FAQ
Q1) How many players were released by CSK ahead of the IPL 2023 auctions?
Ans 1) 8 players have been released by CSK.
Q2) Who is going to be the captain of CSK in IPL 2023?
Ans2) MS Dhoni is all set to captain CSK in IPL 2023.
Q3) Will Ravindra Jadeja play for CSK in IPL 2023?
Ans3) Yes, Ravindra Jadeja will represent CSk in IPL 2023.
Q4) How much purse is left with CSK before the IPL 2023 auctions?
Ans 4) 20.45 Crore (7 slots left)
