Overseas fast bowlers CSK can target in the mega auction: The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a heartbreak in the IPL 2024 season. Under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, the five-time champions failed to advance to the playoffs after losing their last league game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. CSK finished fifth in the points table in IPL 2024, missing out on a playoff spot to RCB on Net Run Rate.
All franchises will have to rebuild their squads in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. Ahead of the mega auction, CSK have retained five players: Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore), and MS Dhoni (INR 4 crore).
Only Pathirana is a fast bowler that CSK have retained. As CSK rebuilt their squad, they would be looking to add a couple of more overseas pacers to their arsenal. In this article, we will look at three excellent options that CSK can target in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.
3 Overseas Fast Bowlers CSK Can Target in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction:
Josh Hazlewood
An overseas fast bowler CSK are likely to target in the upcoming mega auction is Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood played a crucial role in CSK’s 2021 title-winning campaign when he picked up 11 wickets in 9 games with a best of 3/24 and proved his mettle as a T20 bowler.
Hazlewood then snapped 20 wickets in 12 games for RCB in IPL 2022. He played only three matches in the IPL 2023 due to an injury and missed the IPL 2024 due to the birth of his child.
Apart from being one of the best at bowling tight lines and lengths, which are often unhittable, Hazlewood has also developed variations like cutters and yorkers, making him an all-phase T20 bowler.
Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada will be hot in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. Rabada is one of the finest in the world and could be one of the targets for CSK: he has raw pace, a smooth action, vast experience of Indian conditions, a tall frame, and, importantly, would suit well to the conditions at Chepauk, CSK’s home ground.
CSK don’t have a lot of money in their purse. So they are unlikely to go after bowlers like Mitchell Starc or Arshdeep Singh. In that case, they could really come out with a steal if they manage to attain the services of Rabada, who has taken 117 wickets in his IPL career of 80 matches.
Rabada is excellent in all phases of the game. He can swing the new ball, hit the hard lengths in the middle overs, and bowl pin-point yorkers in the death overs.
Naveen Ul Haq
Afghanistan pacer Naveen Ul Haq could be a really good pick for a franchise like CSK. This is because Naveen’s bowling strengths of bowling into the pitch and using variations suit perfectly for the dry surface of the Chepauk.
Naveen was with Lucknow Super Giants in the last two IPL seasons and picked up 25 wickets in 18 matches with a best of 4/38. Naveen is an astute bowler; he understands his limitations with pace but more than makes up for it with his smarts by using cutters and keeping short lengths.
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