The Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) auctions are coming up soon, set to take place in Dubai on December 19. Each team, including MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has specific needs for the upcoming IPL season.
Chennai, who won their fifth IPL trophy last year, are set to face challenges as some key players like Ambati Rayudu retired after the IPL 2023 final. Now, CSK must find a replacement for Rayudu, especially for the crucial batting positions of number 4 or 5.
Former CSK player Ravi Ashwin suggested that Karun Nair could be a suitable replacement for Rayudu. Ashwin believes Nair's ability to handle spin and play between the top and middle order, and his experience makes him a good fit for CSK.
"They (CSK) are searching for a replacement for Ambati Rayudu. Shahrukh (Khan) is not a replacement for him at No.4. I have no idea who they are going to play in that position this season. They might try a left-hand option but if you look at CSK's track record, they have never gone for an unknown commodity. They have never played anybody who just did well in their first season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So Karun Nair, folks, brace yourself to see him in yellow," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin mentioned that MS Dhoni appreciates batters who can play in between the top order and the middle order in the No.4 slot, especially those who can handle spin well. He highlighted Nair's skills, including the ability to sweep and reverse sweep, which could be valuable for CSK.
"He is somebody who can play spin well, who could sweep and reverse sweep. MS Dhoni loves it when there is a batter who can play between the top order and the middle order in the No.4 slot, especially in Chennai. I feel Karun Nair is perfect for that. I haven't really seen Manish Pandey play spin too much in Chennai but Karun Nair, remember has a triple hundred in a Test match played in Chennai," Ashwin added.
As CSK prepares for the auctions, they have a significant budget of 31.40 crores to buy six players. Apart from securing a solid middle-order batter, they also need to focus on acquiring some fast bowlers during the auction.
from IPL Live Score | IPL News, IPL 2024 Updates, Squads & Results - CricTracker