"It was a bit baffling for me" - Aakash Chopra on CSK snapping up Ben Stokes in IPL 2023 auction

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was a bit perplexed to see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) break the bank for England all-rounder Ben Stokes in the IPL 2023 auction. The Men in Yellow shelled out a whopping INR 16.25 crore to secure Stokes' services.

Stokes has formerly been a part of the Rising Pune Supergiant with MS Dhoni and the duo seem to have a great understanding. However, Chopra feels that the turning track at the Chepauk won't suit the batting style of the England Test captain.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra tried to make sense of CSK going hard for Ben Stokes. He said:

"It was a bit baffling for me when Chennai went for Stokes. I felt they won't go for Stokes and would go for Kane Williamson if they needed a future captain. But the fact that they went hard for Stokes might mean that they are looking to make him Dhoni's successor and want to build a team around him."

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Aakash Chopra on CSK's dilemma with Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes played in the top order for England during the T20 World Cup and that could be his role even for CSK. However, with the likes of Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu and others already in the mix, Aakash Chopra has his doubts about their batting order.

Aakash Chopra

@cricketaakash

I’m a little surprised with #CSK going that far for Stokes. Chennai isn’t the kind of surface that will be to his liking. #IPLAuction

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I’m a little surprised with #CSK going that far for Stokes. Chennai isn’t the kind of surface that will be to his liking. #IPLAuction

On this, Chopra stated:

"When I look at the pitch in Chennai, I get confused about where Stokes will bat and with what kind of approach. He is surely not Bravo's replacement as he doesn't bowl that way, and they also don't have any top order slots empty. If he plays at No. 3 and Moeen Ali at No. 4, then where will the likes of Rayudu, Jadeja and Dhoni bat?"

CSK IPL 2023 squad: 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, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Verma.

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