IPL 2022 Auction: Deepak Chahar most expensive buy for CSK. Check full squad

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on
Sunday successfully completed a 25-member squad for IPL. Deepak Chahar is their most expensive buy. They also bought dynamic New Zealand batter Devon Conway, who
is an opening batter. Conway is a natural striker of the ball. He was sold to
CSK at his base price Rs 1 crore.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Auction: Auctioneer Hugh Edmeades returns for final session

At the end of the auction, CSK CEO
Kasi Viswanathan spoke about the defending champions’ auction to host
broadcaster Star Sports.

Asked about retaining the core team Viswanathan said, “At the
end of yesterday, nine of ten were ex-CSK players. We had planned as always.
Credit to the skipper and coach, who work on the balance of the team.”

Also Read: IPL Auction 2022: Full list of sold players

Talking about missing out on former players like Faf du Plessis and Shardul Thakur, he said, “Shardul has been the most consistent player for us over the years and has done
well with the bat. Knowing about his performances and the kind of player he is,
we thought we must go after him. Disappointed to miss out on Faf. Both of those
were crucial players of our team and Faf was with us over a decade. But we were
disappointed to not have enough money for them. We thought the best replacement
for Faf can be Conway, as he is doing well in all formats. Fleming knows about
his credentials. Milne was in the IPL earlier and we needed a quick bowler
replacing Hazlewood.”

Asked about the team combination Viswanathan said, “I
will never say we are a champion side every year. We will set the process
right. We have a balanced team, as far as we are consistent, the result will
come.”

Also Read: IPL Auction 2022: At Rs 14 cr Deepak Chahar becomes CSK’s costliest player

The team had gone overboard in their pursuit for Deepak Chahar on the first day, spending a whopping Rs 14 crore to make him their most expensive buy-ever. But in doing so, the reigning champions stuck to their age-old mantra of maintaining a core group of (old) players that deliver success over the longer run.

Four of the CSK’s six buys today were players that the franchise had released ahead of the auction. Three of them were also above the age of 36, but who are we to question a team the four-time champions. 

Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu returned to the Chennai Super Kings after the regining champions made a winning bid of Rs 6.75 crore. The four-time IPL champions had earlier picked Robin Uthappa for Rs 2 crore and Dwayne Bravo for Rs 4.4 crore. 

The two other buys are Tushar Deshpande (Rs 20 lakh) and KM Asif (Rs 20 lakh). CSK spent a total of Rs 27.55 crores on their six buys today and have Rs 20.45 crore left to fill a maximum of 15 more slots in their squad.  

Also read: IPL Auction 2022: Full list of sold players

The Super Kings have always relied
on stability and experience in their squad for success in the IPL, with the
four-time champions often referred to as the ‘Dad’s Army’ due to their ageing
core.

However, that mantra has yielded tremendous
results over the years – with the team failing to make the playoffs just once
in the tournament’s 14-year history. And like five-time champions Mumbai
Indians, they have relied on taking a conservative approach in auctions and
building around a core unit.

 CSK
came into the auction as one of the four teams – alongside MI, Delhi Capitals
and the Kolkata Knight Riders – to retain four players. Their retention picks
were Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 16 crore) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Rs 12 crore),
Moeen Ali (Rs 8 crore) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 6 crore).

Gaikwad and his opening partner Faf du
Plessis were key behind the Yellow Army’s success last season, as the duo
finished first and second respectively in the race for the Orange Cap. Gaikwad
scored 635 runs from 16 innings, two more than the veteran Protea. 

Retained players: Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 16 crore), MS Dhoni (Rs 12 crore), Moeen Ali (Rs 8 crore), and Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 6 crore)

Final list of players purchased by CSK in IPL 2022 auction:

Dwayne Bravo (Rs 4.40 crore)

Robin Uthappa ( Rs 2 crore)

Ambati Rayadu (Rs 6.75 crore)

Deepak Chahar (Rs 14 crore)

KM Asif (Rs 20 lakh)

Tushar Deshpande (Rs 20 lakh)

Shivam Dube (Rs 4 crore)

Maheesh Theekshana (Rs 70 lakh)

Rajvardhan Hangargekar (Rs 1.50 crore)

Simarjeet Singh (Rs 20 lakh)

Devon Conway (Rs 1 crore)

Dwaine Pretorius (Rs 50 lakh)

Mitchell Santner (Rs 1.90 crore)

Adam Milne (Rs1.90 crore)

Subhranshu Senapati (Rs 20 lakh)

Mukesh Choudhary (Rs 20 lakh)

Prashant Solanki (Rs 1.20 crore)

C Hari Nishaanth (Rs 20 lakh)

N Jagadeesan (Rs 20 lakh)

Chris Jordan (Rs 3.6 crore)

K Bhagath Varma (Rs 20 lakh)

CSK squad: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Dwayne Bravo, Devon Conway, Subhranshu Senapati, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Verma, Mukesh Choudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Milne