"Paisa hi paisa aa gya" - Fans react as CSK release Ben Stokes ahead of IPL 2024 mini-auction
England's talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes was released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) auction.
The announcement was made on Sunday, November 26. Stokes not being retained doesn't come as a big surprise, given that he had confirmed that he was going to miss the next season to manage his workload and fitness.
Several fans took to social media to react to CSK releasing Stokes. Here are some of the top reactions:
The Chennai-based side roped in Ben Stokes for a whopping ₹16.25 crore at the IPL 2023 auction. However, he featured in the playing XI in just two matches due to a knee injury. The seasoned campaigner scored just 15 runs in the edition.
Stokes was last seen in action at the recently concluded 2023 World Cup. He reversed his ODI retirement to participate in the showpiece event. The southpaw mustered 304 runs from six innings at an average of 50.66. He is expected to undergo knee surgery soon.
CSK released Ben Stokes and seven players ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction
The defending champions CSK released a total of eight players prior to the forthcoming mini-auction. Veteran batter Ambati Rayudu was also on the list, considering that he had announced his retirement from Indian cricket after IPL 2023.
Apart from Ben Stokes and Ambati Rayudu, the other six players who were released by the five-time champions include Dwaine Pretorius, Kyle Jamieson, Sisanda Magala, Akash Singh, Bhagath Varma, and Subhransu Senapati.
Chennai will go into the auction with a remaining purse of ₹32.1 crore. Much to the fans' delight, CSK skipper MS Dhoni is all set to feature in the 2024 edition of the cash-rich league.
CSK retained players for IPL 2024
MS Dhoni (wk)(c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simranjeet Singh, Matheesha Pathirana, Prashant Solanki, Mitchell Santner, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Nishant Sindhu, Shaik Rasheed, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Verma.