2018 IPL Auction: 3 positions which CSK need to fill
Chennai Super Kings is among the most successful teams and is arguably the most popular IPL team. The team won its first IPL title in the year 2010 and followed it up in 2011. It is returning from a two-year ban and has retained its three most important players in Dhoni, Raina and Jadeja.
The team management will approach the auction with an aim of retaining its former players as well as picking up new players who add value to their squad.
The history of CSK shows that it likes to fill certain positions with established players which provides it with the best shot at the title and is also the reason why the Chennai-based franchise is the only team to have qualified for the semifinals in all the seasons that it has played.
#1) An overseas fast bowler
Candidates for the spot: Mitchell McClenaghan, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye
A foreign fast bowler is a luxury which CSK and Dhoni always like to have. CSK has emerged victorious in IPL whenever it has had the services of a fit and an in-form overseas pace bowler. CSK won its first IPL title when it had a fiery Bollinger bowling his heart out.
It is therefore expected that the management would go for a foreign fast bowler in this year's IPL Auction as well.
Andrew Tye performed brilliantly in the BBL this year and he had also excelled in last year's IPL before withdrawing due to an injury. In six IPL matches he played last year, Tye picked up 12 wickets which included a hat-trick at an economy rate of 6.71.
The only drawback with CSK picking Tye is that the fans would love to get Bravo back in their team and in that case having the Australian and the West Indian in the same XI would mean two bowlers with similar bowling styles and therefore, the team management would prefer an out and out fast bowler in Tye's place.
Mitchell Starc, if available, can be an ideal choice for any team and CSK is no exception. The only problem with Starc is his injury, he has been regularly affected by injuries and that may be a reason why CSK may look for other options
Mitchell McClenaghan is one player who ticks all the boxes for the Chennai side. His previous IPL experience would also come in handy for the Chennai side as he has had a brilliant record with Mumbai Indians where he scalped 54 wickets in 40 matches at an average of just 25.