IPL 2022 Auction: 3 overseas CSK players to watch out for
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have a 25-member for IPL 2022, seven of whom are overseas players acquired through the mega auction.
Prior to the mega event that was held in Bengaluru earlier this February, Chennai had retained only Moeen Ali as one of their foreign players. MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad were the other three players retained as the franchise headed to the auction with ₹48 cr in their purse.
They took a traditional approach and brought back most of their core members like Robin Uthappa, Deepak Chahar, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, and KM Asif.
That said, there were also a string of new faces inducted in Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Bhagath Varma, Prashant Solanki, Chris Jordan, Dwaine Pretorius, Devon Conway, Adam Milne, Shivam Dube and Tushar Deshpande.
Ahead of the start of the tournament, here's a look at three of CSK's overseas players to watch out for.
#1 Can CSK star Dwayne Bravo still deliver?
Dwayne Bravo has been one of the most popular stars in the CSK fold. If it was his off-the-field jolly attitude that earned him a rich fanbase, he also bagged their respect by producing some sparkling performances on it.
Bravo has been a part of Chennai since 2011 and had his breakout season with the side in 2013 when he scalped 32 wickets in a single season. He has 167 wickets from 151 games at an average of 24.31.
The West Indies star is no slouch with the willow either. Usually a lower-order bat, he's stacked up 1537 runs at an average of 22.94. The question ahead of IPL 2022 is can he still deliver?
He played 11 games in 2021 picking up 14 wickets, but had paltry returns with the bat scoring just 47 runs. Only time will tell if he can have another magical season.
#2 Mitchell Santner
Mitchell Santner has played six IPL matches so far, but has been clinical with the ball - an economy rate of just seven. This, coupled with his game IQ and athleticism, make him a valuable asset for the franchise.
Santner can also bat and that justified why he was brought in for a steal during the IPL 2022 Auction by CSK. He might be one of the foreign imports taking the field for the side during the season.
#3 Adam Milne
Kiwi quick Adam Milne has had stints with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians, and he has now joined the CSK unit. A pacer who can consistently hit the 140kmph mark, Milne has had decent success in the league.
Lack of IPL experience, however, might hamper his chances of making the playing XI. He's played nine games so far and has six wickets to his credit. Should he get a go, it will be interesting to see what the quick can do.