IPL 2023: 2 overseas players crucial for Chennai Super Kings’ success
Chennai Super Kings had a disappointing IPL 2022 as they won only four out of their 14 league games, finishing ninth in the points table.
Apart from poor performances, CSK also underwent a leadership change midway through the tournament, when Ravindra Jadeja stepped down as skipper to hand over the reins back to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
In the recently concluded auction, CSK's management released Sam Curran and replaced him with another English all-rounder, Ben Stokes. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side have an abundance of talent at their disposal to overturn their fortunes in the upcoming edition, but the all-round abilities of Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali will be critical in CSK’s upcoming campaign.
Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali: The English duo holds the key for Chennai Super Kings’ success
Ben Stokes has been a star performer for England across all formats, be it the 2019 ICC World Cup final or the famous Ashes Test at Headingley, he has a knack for playing crucial knocks when his team needs him the most.
In the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, the England all-rounder played another important knock in the final, scoring an unbeaten half-century to see his side through to victory.
Although Stokes has not been able to make much of an impact in the IPL yet, with 920 runs in 43 matches, Dhoni might just be the leader to get the best out of him. Stokes has played with Dhoni before when they both represented the Rising Pune Supergiants and it was incidentally the best season for the left-hander with both bat and ball.
Moeen Ali has been an efficient player for CSK in previous editions of the IPL. Ali joined CSK in 2021 after being released by Royal Challengers Bangalore and has had a couple of successful stints with the Chennai-based franchise.
In 25 matches for the Chennai Super Kings, the English all-rounder has scored 601 runs, at a healthy strike-rate of over 137. With the ball, the off-spinner has picked up 14 wickets for the Chennai Super Kings and has an overall tally of 24 wickets in the IPL.
Stokes and Ali will hold the key to the Chennai-based franchise's success. Ali, a clean hitter, can be used as a floater in the batting department, while the addition of Stokes will not only strengthen the middle order for Chennai but also release pressure from skipper Dhoni lower down the order. In addition to their batting, the bowling experience these two provide will come in handy for the Chennai Super Kings.