IPL 2018 Auction: Stephen Fleming reveals why they didn't pick Ravichandran Ashwin

The IPL Auctions got underway today in Bengaluru, as the Indian players made merry on the first day of the IPL Auctions. After Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to retain the services of the explosive left-handed opener, all eyes were set on Chennai Super Kings who were expected to get the offie Ravichandran Ashwin.

Prior to the IPL Auctions, CSK fans expected the franchise to take the services of the local lad Ravi Ashwin over the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. However, CSK went in with Jadeja, as they wanted to get the offie at the auctions.

All along, CSK knew that it was not an easy task for them as Ashwin was not only an offie option for the franchises but also an option for leadership. It was Kings XI Punjab who bid crazily to get the services of the all-rounder at a hefty price of Rs 7.6 crore while CSK gave up on the all-rounder midway at four crores.

What was the reason behind CSK pulling out for Ashwin?

Stephen Fleming, after the auction, revealed that it was difficult to pick the services of the 31-year-old at a budget of four crores, “We went into the auction knowing our cap for Ashwin will not be more than Rs. 4 crores, knowing it will be a lot more than 4. He (Ashwin) was a big part of CSK. But as proven it was going to be harder to retain him,” said Fleming as quoted by Sportstar.

CSK made the surprise replacement:

Instead, the Yellow Army acquired the services of the veteran offie Harbhajan Singh for a meagre sum of 2 crores. CSK’s strategy was to get an offie with bigger boundaries at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai, “His bowling will support wider boundaries. He was outstanding last year. And with the combination of M.S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina, the Indian core is strong now adding to Bhajji’s purchase,” the former New Zealand skipper concluded.

It is now left to be seen if Harbhajan brings in all the elements that the CSK management was looking in before heading to the Auction on Day 1. Harbhajan would be looking to perform well for his new franchise after the Mumbai Indians did not use the RTM card to retain the offie in the auctions.