Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a dismal campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 when they ended the season being the second last in the points table. But they will look forget the past season's demons and come all guns blazing in the upcoming season as their head coach Stephen Fleming as asked the Men in Yellow to press the reset button an be in sync with the latest trends in pursuit to bounce back.
"We have to really play well, and we have to re-teach the team how to play (this season). We've had three or four years almost where we've been away, so our style of play has changed," Fleming was quoted as saying in a report in CSK website on Monday (January 2).
"So, we quickly have to get back into sync with the ground and make sure that the style of play we play represents what the ground's asking. And, we'll do that and we need to do it quickly. So, we'll work very hard on that," he further added.
Former New Zealand's skipper also said that MS Dhoni's men will look to maximise the advantages on home turf as the IPL action is set to return to CSK's fortress Chepauk.
This time around, CSK will be strengthened by the inclusion of England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was roped in by the four-time IPL champions for a whopping amound of Rs 16.25 crore in the IPL 2023 mini auction.
"Well, it's a great time because we turned our home ground into almost a fortress, it was really hard for teams to come and play us and we worked hard. It didn't happen by accident. We really developed the team that could specialise here. So, we're really proud of what we achieved here," said Fleming.
"So, this had to be a strong home base for us. And it was, and what we gave and the results we got, we got back ten-fold from the crowd. And as our support grew and our success grew, it just became an absolute juggernaut of a place to come and compete in. And I know the players loved driving here, turning up to play, and I'm pretty sure as opposition it felt pretty daunting," he further added.
CSK have won four IPL titles and two Champions Trophy T20 (CLT20) titles under the leadership of the legendary MS Dhoni. The wicketkeeper-batter has been leading CSK since 2008, the first edition of the tournament. He stepped down from the role ahead of the IPL 2022 as Ravindra Jadeja was named his successor, but things did not go according to plans and Dhoni had to return to captaincy midway into the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings Final Squad:
MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Team 2023 players list:
PLAYER ROLE PRICE
MS Dhoni (c) Batsman/Wicket-keeper 12 Crore
Devon Conway Batsman 1 crore
Ruturaj Gaikwad Batsman 6 Crore
Ambati Rayudu Batsman/Wicket-keeper 6.75 crore
Subhranshu Senapati Batsmen 20 lakh
Moeen Ali All-Rounder 8 Crore
Shivam Dube All-Rounder 4 crore
Rajvardhan Hangargekar Bowler 1.5 crore
Dwaine Pretorius All-Rounder 50 lakh
Mitchell Santner Bowler 1.9 crore
Ravindra Jadeja All-Rounder 16 Crore
Tushar Deshpande Bowler 20 lakh
Mukesh Chowdhary Bowler 20 lakh
Matheesha Pathirana Bowler 20 lakh
Simarjeet Singh Bowler 20 lakh
Deepak Chahar Bowler 14 crore
Prashant Solanki Bowler 1.2 crore
Maheesh Theekshana Bowler 70 lakh
Ajinkya Rahane Batsman 50 lakh
Ben Stokes All-Rounder 16.25 crore
Shaik Rasheed Batsman 20 lakh
Nishant Sindhu All-Rounder 60 lakh
Kyle Jamieson Bowler 1 crore
Ajay Mandal All-Rounder 20 lakh
Bhagath Varma All-Rounder 20 lakh
