It surprised me when they broke the bank for Ben Stokes – Aakash Chopra on Stokes’ role for CSK in IPL 2023

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra expressed his surprise that Chennai Super Kings decided to break the bank for England all-rounder Ben Stokes. After a bidding war against Lucknow Super Giants, CSK were able to rope in Stokes for a whopping amount of INR 16.25 crores in IPL 2023 mini-auction.

However, Stokes will only play as a specialist batter in IPL 2023 in order to manage his knee injury ahead of the Ashes. While there is no denying the fact that Stokes is a massive player and has won some big matches for the Three Lions but his IPL record isn’t the greatest.

Stokes has scored 920 runs in 43 IPL matches at an average of 25.56 and a strike rate of 134.5. Moreover, he has taken 28 wickets in the tournament.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “It surprised me when they broke the bank for Ben Stokes because I don’t know how he will perform in the conditions in Chennai. He is someone who likes to take a bit of time before playing his shots and also likes to bat in the top order. So will it be Ruturaj who will hit the ground running? It will be interesting to see.”

Meanwhile, CSK will play at the Chepauk after a long peroid of almost four years. CSK’s pack leader Deepak Chahar will also return for the team after missing the previous season due to injury. Chopra added that CSK will look to make the most of the home conditions.

“They have filled their team with multi-faceted players and will also be bolstered by the return of Deepak Chahar. The Chepauk has become a fortress which not many have been able to breach. Out of those seven games, if they win even four to five, they will need just two to three wins from the remaining games so this is a huge advantage for them.”

The former KKR player added that experience is Chennai Super Kings’ biggest asset in the IPL and they will want their experienced players to step up.

“Experience is this team’s biggest strength. If you look at the team, there players brimming with experience right down the line-up. They know how to handle pressure and the experience also teaches them during league games that don’t lose the matches with a big margin because net run rate will always be a factor.”

Chennai Super Kings will kick off their Indian Premier League 2023 show against defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on 31st March.