"They will definitely reach the finals" - Brad Hogg on Chennai Super Kings
Former Australian bowler Brad Hogg expects Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to reach the 2022 IPL final. The defending champions assembled a squad comprising primarily of their former players, in their quest for a record-equalling fifth title.
CSK broke the bank to sign Deepak Chahar, and were active in the later stages of the auction. The team also replaced players they could not get hold of, with established experienced campaigners.
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Praising the CSK think-tank for yet another solid outing at the auction, Hogg said on his YouTube channel:
"CSK were yet again very good at the auction table. They are very studious about their backup players; they have done their research and gone for locals. It's all experience again."
"Conway was the right choice to replace Faf. Milne and Jordan were perfect overseas picks to complement their roster. Milne has that extra pace, and Jordan can bowl at the death. They will definitely reach the finals, led by the great MS Dhoni."
While ranking CSK as the third-best team in the IPL auction, Hogg also spoke about the Delhi Capitals (DC), who he believes, were the second-best team in the two-day event.
The former spinner feels the Capitals have good balance and depth to their squad, saying:
"Delhi had the second-best auction. They kept the same balance as what they had last year. They got Warner to fill in for Dhawan ,and they've added a bit more power to the middle order. Very strong in their batting department. Kuldeep's form is a little concern for them. Great balance and good depth."
The 2021 IPL finalists were among the most active franchises on day one of the auction, bringing in nine players. They primarily focused on backups on the second day of the auction.
"Sunrises Hyderabad had the best auction out of all of the teams" - Brad Hogg
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 IPL winners, came into the auction with a heavy purse after retaining two uncapped players.
The franchise secured some high-profile buys in the form of Nicholas Pooran and Washington Sundar. Opining that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) did the best business out of all the franchises at the recent mega auction, Hogg said:
"For me, Sunrises Hyderabad had the best auction out of all of the teams. In the retention phase, they kept the inexperience of Samad and Malik, thinking that they've got a bright future and a good leader in Williamson. So what they needed is to get some experience around those younger players."
"In the bowling department, they got Natarajan and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar fairly cheaply. The only thing that's lacking probably with Sunrisers Hyderabad is depth in spin. Gopal and Sundar will keep things nice and tight."
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Having unfurled a brand new jersey, SRH have followed that up with a brand new squad to get their new era kickstarted under Kane Williamson.