Amazing to be playing under MS Dhoni; it has made my day and year: Moeen Ali
England all-rounder Moeen Ali was delighted to get the opportunity to play under the tutelage of MS Dhoni in the upcoming season of the IPL. He was sold to the Chennai Super Kings for a stunning INR 7 crore at the auction on Thursday.
Moeen Ali was recently in action in the 2nd Test between India and England in Chennai. He picked 4 wickets in each innings with his off-spin bowling and returned with overall figures of 8-226.
But perhaps it was his blistering knock of 43 off just 18 balls in the 4th innings, which included 5 towering sixes and 3 fours, that caught the attention of the franchise owners. His performance against India's established spinners proved to be the perfect audition for the auction.
Taking to Twitter, Moeen Ali said the signing has made his "day and year."
"Absolutely buzzing to play for CSK this year. Amazing to be playing under MS, something which most cricketers look forward to do. Its made my day and year," said Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali had a base price of INR 2 crore at Thursday's auction. Before his name came up, CSK had also tried their luck with Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. But Maxwell was soon out of their price range as the Royal Challengers Bangalore roped him in for a whopping INR 14.25 crore.
Moeen Ali's IPL record
Moeen Ali has featured in just three seasons in the IPL - all have come for RCB. The 33-year-old southpaw has played 19 IPL matches, scoring 309 runs at a commendable strike-rate of 158.46. With the ball, he has scalped 10 wickets at an economy of 7.14.
Overall, Moeen Ali has played 34 T20Is for England, in which he has scored 392 runs at an average of 17 and has picked up 17 wickets at 37.06. He will probably play in the middle-order for the 3-time champions while doubling up as a wicket-taking option on the sluggish Chepauk pitch.