Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes that five-time champions Chennai Super Kings would have released star England all-rounder Ben Stokes even if he was available for the IPL 2024 season, given his hefty price in the cash-rich league.
On Thursday, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced that England all-rounder Ben Stokes has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 in order to manage his workload and fitness. The Left-handed all-rounder was part of CSK’s title-winning campaign in the 2023 season but played only two games for the side.
During a discussion on his YouTube Channel, Aakash Chopra feels that Ben Stokes was unlikely to be kept by CSK and would not have found many takers at the auction and believes that five-time champions will have a larger available purse at the auction with retirement Ambati Rayudu.
“Ben Stokes has said that he won’t play in the IPL. Were Chennai going to retain him? That’s a big question. In my opinion, they weren’t going to do so. Would any other team have bought him for 16.25 crores? My two cents – it was not going to happen,” Aakash Chopra said.
“So he did the right thing. I don’t know if it’s strategic or anything. Why should we comment on it? The truth is that 16.25 crore rupees are suddenly freed there. Ambati Rayudu has retired. So you have 20 crore rupees and you will get five crores in any case when the purse is increased,” Aakash Chopra said.
Ben Stokes’ patchy performance throughout the ODI World Cup 2023 this year has prompted concerns about his fitness but the Southpaw has established himself as one of the modern-day greats of the game and has been a revelation for the nation since the 2019 World Cup win and could be miss for the Chennai Super Kings given his all-round abilities.
Chennai Super Kings Can Think About Rachin Ravindra – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels that Chennai Super Kings will have enough amount to pursue going into the 2024 IPL auction and believes that the team will look to acquire the services star New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra in the forthcoming auction. He also believes that Punjab Kings will release Sam Curran given his poor performance in the previous edition of the IPL.
“So Chennai will reach the auction table with more than 25 crores. Who will they want? Can they think about Rachin Ravindra? He is a possibility. The second thing connected with this is Punjab will release Sam Curran, and they should release him.”
“The pitches on which he is going to play and the way he has performed, those pitches haven’t suited him. His performances have been ordinary. If it happens like that and if you come with such a big price tag, you say let’s move on,” Aakash Chopra added.
Chennai Super Kings can decide to place a high price for all-rounder Rachin Ravindra or fast bowler Gerald Coetzee from South Africa, and a few rising talents in domestic cricket, who can make an impact for the team in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.