Best Buy of the day’-CSK bag Ben Stokes for whopping INR 16.25 Crore🏏

Star England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been roped in by the Chennai Super Kings for a staggering INR 16.25 Crore at the IPL 2023 mini-auction in Kochi on Friday, December 23. Stokes was always expected to fetch a higher bid given that he had played a match-winning knock for England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 final against Pakistan at the MCG.

When Ben Stokes’ name was announced, the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals were involved in a bidding war and as the price went high, both teams had no choice other than backing out to make good use of their budget later on in the auction. The Lucknow Super Giants and the Sunrisers Hyderabad were involved in an aggressive bidding war even as the price tag went well beyond the INR 10 crore mark. CSK joined the competition and gave both franchises a run for their money. Eventually, the Yellow Army outbid everyone to acquire the England Test skipper’s services for the 2023 season.

Ben Stokes looks to fill Dwayne Bravo’s shoes in IPL 2023

After the retirement of the iconic Caribbean all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, they were looking for a seasoned campaigner to fill those big shoes and they found a perfect candidate in Ben Stokes. Meanwhile, Stokes is currently the third-highest sold player of this auction after the likes of Sam Curran (INR 18.5 Crore to Punjab Kings) and Cameron Green (INR 17.5 Crore to the Mumbai Indians).

The investment made by CSK in Stokes is worth it as he is a very accomplished player in the IPL having amassed 920 runs in 43 matches including two centuries and as many half-centuries with his highest individual score being 107. The New Zealand-born cricketer has also made an impact with the ball in hand bagging 28 scalps to his name. The England all-rounder had represented the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (2017) and the Rajasthan Royals (2018-2021) in the past. Stokes could also be looked at as MS Dhoni’s successor in the long run.

They are two fantastic minds in the dressing room, MSD and Ben Stokes. But I think Stokes will sit back and respect MSD and let him do his thing. The young players will also get to learn a lot from Stokes. It’s good to have him and he still has the likes of DJ Bravo in the CSK ranks,’ Gayle was quoted as saying by Jio Cinemas. Fitting in the culture is important and I am sure without any doubt, with his experience, he will fit in amazingly with the Super Kings. As we all knock, they lack all-rounders and will accept Stokes with both hands,’ he added.

Oh, absolutely, I think Chennai have a history of going after experienced players, knowing what they want. And when you complement that with the rest of the squad, it is so balanced when you throw that world class all-rounder in there. I think the only separation between Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green is Sam Curran’s ability to bowl in the last five overs. His record has been unbelievable. So, that probably gives him the nod if you’re going down the road of a bowling all-rounder.

“But Ben Stokes, he structures out any side tremendously well because he can bat in the top four, he can bat in the top six, and you can almost bank on him to bowl four overs as well. So, that’s a huge asset and I’m not surprised that all three of those guys have been paid what they have been paid there,” he added.

“With the absence of Pooran, we were looking at someone who could finish the game for us. He is a very good batter. Harry Brook’s exploits around the world has shown that he has the capability of doing it. It will be his first IPL. It will take time for him to get into the groove but the expectation is pretty high and I believe that’s he’s a great choice,”

I personally believe with the inclusion of Ben Stokes in CSK, they have a strong team and Stokes and Jadeja could play a vital role in CSK’S huge triumph in IPL 2023.