For only the 2nd time in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) crashed out from the league stage and failed to qualify for the 2nd round of the 15th edition of the tournament. Led by Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni, CSK underwent some changes during the season.
Jadeja started the season as the captain before making way for Dhoni. CSK managed 2 wins from 8 matches under the star all-rounder. By the time Dhoni took over, the Yellow Army was in a must-win position and failed to make it to the 2nd round.
Dhoni has confirmed that he will play IPL 2023 and will be leading the four-time champions right from game 1. The squad is expected to undergo some changes and a couple of players could be released. Here’s a look at 3 players the MS Dhoni-led CSK might release before IPL 2023 auction –
Ambati Rayudu
Senior batsman Ambati Rayudu might be released before the next season. The franchise spent a huge sum of Rs 6.75 crore on him but the right-handed batsmen struggled and managed 274 runs in the season.
Rayudu’s below-par run saw him announcing his retirement mid-season. But the decision was reversed. Rayudu was dropped for the very next game. His below-par run with the bat could see CSK releasing him and adding a youngster to their roster.
Chris Jordan
CSK showed immense faith in Chris Jordan and bought him for a huge amount of Rs 3.60 crore. But the all-rounder had a forgettable run in the season and leaked 135 runs in 77 balls he bowled. His economy rate of 10.52 was too high. In the league stage fixture against Gujarat Titans, Jordan failed to defend 13 runs in the final over and didn’t play for CSK after that. He looks set to be part of the next year’s IPL auction.
Robin Uthappa
After a decent start to the season, Robin Uthappa had forgettable outings in his last 5 matches and only managed 3 runs in 4 innings. He was benched towards the end of the season. With Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway doing the job at the top, Uthappa’s chances of making it into the playing XI are bleak and the management might release him to add a youngster to the squad.
