Former India batsman and now a recognised commentator Aakash Chopra opined that to replace Ben Stokes, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are likely to go hard at one or both of the New Zealand duo of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell in the upcoming IPL 2024 auction.
The England Test captain Ben Stokes was released by CSK last weekend after he announced his decision to pull out from the IPL 2024 to manage his workload. CSK had bought Stokes for a big price of INR 16.25 crore in the IPL 2023 auction, but due to his knee injury, he played in only two matches.
A couple of days ago, Ben Stokes underwent knee surgery and has started his rehab to be fit for the Test series in India in January.
Although he didn’t play any major on-field part in CSK’s title win in IPL 2023, CSK have now got a good budget of INR 31.4 Crore, after releasing Stokes, and will go shopping for a marquee overseas all-rounder.
Aakash Chopra reckons Rachin and Mitchell, the Kiwi pair who were in great form with the bat during the World Cup 2023 and both of whom could chip in with the ball, would be an ideal replacement for Stokes.
Speaking on Sports18, Chopra said: “They will need an all-rounder. It could be Rachin Ravindra in place of Ben Stokes, or they might look towards Daryl Mitchell. This team might not need spinners because they have Ravindra Jadeja, Prashant Solanki, Moeen Ali and Mitchell Santner. They will be able to manage with them.”
“Would any other team have bought Ben Stokes for 16.25 crores?”: Aakash Chopra
Earlier on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed doubts whether CSK would have retained Stokes for such a huge price, and whether any other team would be willing to shell such a hefty amount for Stokes, who has not been bowling due to his knee injury.
“Ben Stokes has said that he won’t play in the IPL. Were Chennai going to retain him? That’s a big question. In my opinion, they weren’t going to do so. Would any other team have bought him for 16.25 crores? My two cents – it was not going to happen,” Chopra had said.
