South African fast bowler Gerald Coetzee is set to be one of the most sought after names in the IPL 2024 auction which is scheduled for December 19, 2023, in Dubai.
He rose to prominence by claiming 18 wickets in World Cup 2023 and now boasts of having a base price of INR 2 crores in the auction.
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Coetzee is eager to secure a spot in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad and play under charismatic leader MS Dhoni in 2024. Expressing his admiration for the CSK franchise, he even praised their supportive coaching staff led by Stephen Fleming and Eric Simmons.
What did Gerald Coetzee say about MS Dhoni?
"If I end up playing under MS Dhoni, then it would be a massive opportunity for me to learn and to experience one of the greatest captains of all time," he said in an interview with RevSportz.
“I have really enjoyed playing under Flem (Stephen Fleming) and Eric (Eric Simmons) and the Super Kings family is really special. They are such a powerful and awesome franchise, who gave me a shot in the SA20 as well as MLC. But I also understand the nature of the auction that you can end up playing for any team, and you have to be open to that."
However, Coetzee might not be glued to the screen watching the auction.
"IPL auction is always very exciting. For every cricketer, whoever is there in the auction, everyone is always anticipating what’s going on. I don’t think I will be watching. I might be on the road or in the bush for a day. I am not quite sure where I would be, but I am not going to put myself through that. Wait patiently and see what happens, if I get any messages or calls. But I don’t think I will be watching (laughs),” he said.
Costliest players in every IPL season listed
Chennai Super Kings squad list for IPL 2024
Following the player retention/release deadline, CSK have retained 19 players. They are:
- MS Dhoni
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Deepak Chahar
- Shivam Dube
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Moeen Ali*
- Devon Conway*
- Mitchell Santner*
- Maheesh Theekshana*
- Matheesha Pathirana*
- Tushar Deshpande
- Rajvardhan Hangargekar
- Ajay Mandal
- Mukesh Choudhary
- Nishant Sindhu
- Simarjeet Singh
- Prashant Solanki
- Shaik Rasheed
*overseas players
Which players should Chennai Super Kings buy in the IPL 2024 auction?
CSK's purse ahead of the IPL 2024 auction stands at INR 31.40 crore. The minimum amount of players in a squad is 18, which means the Men in Yellow already have one player more than the minimum requirement. They have three overseas slots vacant.
The five-time champions have a strong Indian batting core, with the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, and Ravindra Jadeja sharing the run-scoring responsibilities. However, they will look to add another Indian batsman to the squad following Ambati Rayudu's retirement.
Meanwhile, their bowling department looks a bit thin. Tushar Deshpande did emerge as one of the leading wicket-takers, but he was too expensive. Matheesha Pathirana became CSK's very own Lasith Malinga, but he has been terribly out of form for Sri Lanka in the past few months. They will hope to add one Indian bowler and one experienced overseas bowler.
On the other hand, Ben Stokes has opted out of IPL 2024, which probably weakens the depth of CSK's batting. Hence, they would be looking at an overseas all-rounder, too.
MORE: WPL 2024 Auction: Date, venue, and full list of 165 available players
Rachin Ravindra
The New Zealand sensation will definitely one of the most expensive players in the upcoming auction following his exploits at the 2023 World Cup.
His skills and style of play make him look like a player born to play for CSK. Ravindra can be the anchor of the team at No. 3 or No. 4. He is pretty damn good against spinners and can provide the third spinner option at Chepauk with his crafty slow left-arm spin bowling. Ravindra will provide a lot of balance to the team.
Manish Pandey
CSK have a pretty good track record of purchasing out-of-favour Indian batsmen in their 30s and transforming them into match-winners. Just ask Ajinkya Rahane.
Pandey could be the ideal replacement for Ambati Rayudu, who announced his retirement. In a squad that doesn't have any experienced Indian batsman outside the playing XI, Pandey could prove to be a vital addition to the squad. He is a good player of spin and can be a solid middle-order option for MS Dhoni.
Pat Cummins
The World Cup-winning Australian captain could be and should be one of the priorities for CSK at the auction.
Cummins showed his leadership skills and a proactive approach during Australia's famous campaign. He is a player who will not only spearhead the bowling attack, but can also provide a batting option, thus giving CSK the depth that they always have in the XI.
The balance that he would provide is also tremendous. Just imagine a CSK side with Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Pat Cummins, and Maheesh Theekshana as their overseas players.
The owners of CSK will hope that Cummins can emulate his performances in the Yellow of CSK after doing it in style in the Yellow of Australia.
Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel is one of just three Indian players to have set their base price at Rs 2 crore. This may be an indication that he expects to receive a substantial bid from one or more franchises, and with good reason.
Patel earned Rs 10.75 crore when RCB bought him in 2022, and has emerged as a solid death bowling option. MS Dhoni likes his all-rounders and Patel's handiness with the bat means he could be a CSK target. In addition, his cutters are likely to be effective on an abrasive Chepauk pitch, making him and Matheesha Pathirana a potentially deadly bowling partnership.
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