CHENNAI: New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a whopping Rs 14 crore after engaging in a fierce bidding battle with Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction at Dubai on Tuesday.
With Ben Stokes not being part of the IPL, the MS Dhoni-led side needed at least one popular and resourceful foreign player. When World Cup winning captain Pat Cummins' name popped out, CSK were the first team to bid. Mumbai Indians competed for a while with CSK, later, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad had a fight which was eventually won by the latter. Having lost Cummins, CSK trained their guns on Daryl Mitchell and bought the Kiwi for `14 crores.
CSK Coach Stephen Fleming was happy with Mitchell and insisted that the New Zealand all-rounder was different from Stokes. "He (Ben Stokes) played just one game, so not massive shoes (to fill). Daryl is a different type of player," said Fleming. "But his (Daryl) performances over the last 18-24 months have warranted this type of a price. He is an unfashionable player and often goes under the radar. With his ability to play spin, he is competitive, and he is also a handy bowler. In Chepauk, we can slide him into a role. Just like his performances, he fits in nicely and is a good buy for us."
Former India cricketer and CSK bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji, too, agreed with Fleming and insisted that all the picks by CSK were intelligent, keeping the budget at hand and the future in mind. "All the picks, be it Daryl, Rachin Ravindra and Shardul Thakur were very intelligent moves. In T20s, the more number of all-rounders you have, the better for the side. One cannot afford to have a one dimensional player. So all the three all-rounders have the ability to win games both with bat and ball," said Balaji. "Mitchell may not be in the same league as Stokes, but he plays the role of the England all-rounder. Rachin is an exciting addition and a good spin option,'' added the former Tamil Nadu captain.
Balaji welcomes Shardul back in the team and insists that the all-rounder will play an important role for the team. "Shardul has been with CSK before and he knows the set-up well. So it is always an advantage in T20 when a player knows his job well. Shardul can bowl at any stage in the match and his batting is always a plus," opined Balaji.
However, the surprise pick was Uttar Pradesh batter Sameer Rizvi who was signed by Chennai Super Kings for `8.4 crore. Rizvi's base price was `20 lakh and CSK and Gujarat Titans were engaged in a bidding war before Delhi Capitals joined in. GT pulled out at 7.6 crore when DC decided to mix things up. But CSK had the final say. Rizvi shot to limelight after the recent UP T20 League where he scored 455 runs in nine innings, including two hundreds, for the Kanpur Superstars.
The 20-year-old also offered a glimpse of his big-hitting potential in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season. Rizvi smashed 18 sixes, hitting one of every 11 balls he faced. "You see Sameer has been bought keeping the future in mind. He is a young batter who strikes the ball and is fearless. He has the uncanny ability to score boundaries and sixes which is essential in this format," complimented Balaji.
Many expected CSK to bid for Tamil Nadu's Shahrukh Khan but that was not to be. He was finally bought by Gujarat. "You see CSK would have gone for Shahrukh, but I guess they did not have the purse," said Balaji.