3 uncapped players who Chennai Super Kings will retain for IPL 2023

The four-time IPL champion, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), had a disappointing campaign in the 2022 season. The franchise finished ninth in the points table with four wins from their 14 league games. Notably, the defending champion failed to make it to the playoffs, only for the second time in IPL history.

During the 2022 mega auction, the franchise managed to acquire the services of their experienced players but despite that, several things did not go in their favor as they wanted. Before the start of the 15th edition of the cash-rich tournament, MS Dhoni handed over the reins to Ravindra Jadeja, but the move did not work out and the team saw a serious decline in their performances.

After that, in the middle of the tournament, Dhoni was given back the captaincy but it was too late because winning every game in that situation was almost impossible. However, some young players have made their name with their stealth performances and have presented a strong claim to be associated with the team in IPL 2023.

Three uncapped players CSK will retain for IPL 2023.

1. Mukesh Choudhary

Mukesh Choudhary is arguably the biggest positive for CSK from IPL 2022. The left-arm medium-pacer is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways. Choudhary has left his mark with brilliant performances in his maiden IPL season and his wicket-taking ability with the new ball has made him a standout performer for the Chennai-based franchise.

The 25-year-old was the leading wicket-taker for Maharashtra in the 2020-21 Vijay Hazare Trophy. CSK bought his services at a base price of INR 20 lakhs at the 2022 mega auction and it turned out to be a career-changing deal for the left-arm, as he picked up three crucial wickets in a match against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians.

Overall, Choudhary picked up 16 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 26.50. His best performances came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he recorded figures of 4/46 and helped the team register just their third victory of the season. In the absence of Deepak Chahar, the young bowler grabbed the opportunity with both hands and came out as his perfect replacement. With Chahar’s return next year, the duo can prove dangerous with the new ball from both ends against any batting line-up.