All eyes were on Ben Stokes heading into the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, since he was the most well-known name among the players up for grabs. Stokes missed the 2022 season and thus did not participate in last year's super auction.
Stokes will join the four-time champion Chennai Super Kings and play under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Stokes was purchased by CSK for a whopping Rs. 16.25 crore when his name appeared in a set 2 full of superstar all-rounders.
Stokes is now the third most expensive player ever sold at an IPL auction. Only Sam Curran (Rs. 18.50 crore) and Cameron Green (Rs. 17.50 crore) have earned more than him in the current auction. Pat Cummins came into this auction with a record (Rs. 16 crore) after KKR bid huge for him in 2021.
Stokes sent out a unique tweet upon the announcement of CSK's winning bid for him, which captured the hearts of CSK fans all across the world. Stokes shared a photo with only the color yellow visible, expressing his joy at joining the MS Dhoni-led team.
This will not be Stokes and Dhoni's first time playing together. In the 2017 season, the two shared a dressing room with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants. Dhoni, however, was not the captain at the time, and the squad was led by Steve Smith during their final season in the league. Stokes was instrumental in the Pune franchise reaching the final.
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Stokes could be a leadership possibility for CSK in the future, with 2023 expected to be Dhoni's final season. Ravindra Jadeja was named captain ahead of the 2022 season, but Dhoni took over after only eight games.
READ| Chennai Super Kings buys England's Ben Stokes for a MASSIVE INR 16.25 crore
