3 reasons why CSK should look to sign Karun Nair in IPL 2024 auction

The IPL 2024 auction is just a couple of weeks away and teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be keen on bolstering their squad. The IPL 2023 winners have retained all the big names apart from Ambati Rayudu (who has retired) and Ben Stokes (knee surgery).

The five-time champions have a budget of ₹32.1 crore to fill the void left by the aforementioned players. As Dwayne Pretorius and Kyle Jamieson have also been released, acquiring a couple of overseas fast bowlers who can bat will be the priority for CSK.

The MS Dhoni-led side will have their work cut out when finding an Ambati Rayudu replacement. The 38-year-old IPL veteran scored 4348 runs for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and CSK, helping both sides to multiple IPL trophies.

The lack of quality Indian batters entering the mini-auction is a worry, but CSK can look at experienced players such as Karun Nair and Manish Pandey. Cricketer-cum-YouTuber, Ravi Ashwin believes Karun will be a good fit for his former side.

Ashwin spoke on his YouTube channel:

"I have a feeling that they (CSK) will invest it on Karun Nair. They are searching for a replacement for Ambati Rayudu. Shahrukh is not a replacement for him at No.4."

He added:

"I have no idea who they are going to play in that position this season. They might try a left-hand option but if you look at CSK's track record, they have never gone for an unknown commodity. They have never played anybody who just did well in their first season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So Karun Nair, folks, brace yourself to see him in yellow."

The off-spinner continued:

"He is somebody who can play spin well, who could sweep and reverse sweep. MS Dhoni loves it when there is a batter who can play between the top order and the middle order in the No. 4 slot, especially in Chennai."

Ashwin concluded:

"I feel Karun Nair is perfect for that. I haven't really seen Manish Pandey play spin too much in Chennai but Karun Nair, remember has a triple hundred in a Test match played in Chennai."

On that note, let's look at three reasons why CSK should look to sign Karun Nair in the IPL 2024 auction.

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#1 Ambati Rayudu replacement

As mentioned earlier, Karun Nair should be targeted by the Chennai-based franchise as he can fill in the Ambati Rayudu-sized hole in the team. Nair has just played eight IPL matches since 2018, which is why he shouldn't hurt CSK's budget a lot.

Rayudu's role in the Yellow Army had changed as the years went by. He started his stint there as an opener who amassed 602 runs in the 2018 season. But in the last three seasons of his IPL career, he became more of a floater in the middle order.

Nair can fulfill the role that Rayudu was given during the second half of his CSK career. He could rotate with Moeen Ali at numbers three and four, depending on the situation and which batter has been dismissed, to continue the right-left-hand combination.

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#2 CSK and Karun Nair could be a match made in heaven

Be it Robin Uthappa in 2022 or Ajinkya Rahane in 2023, CSK have a knack for bringing the best out of experienced Indian campaigners. Karun Nair falls in the same bracket of players who are struggling to get a look into any IPL side at the moment.

The MS Dhoni-led side have always backed their players and given them the freedom to express themselves and play their natural game. Another example of an out-of-favor Indian player doing well in the Yellow Army is Shivam Dube.

Nair could attain a new lease of life under the captaincy of Dhoni. The Vidarbha batter is still only 31 years old and could be a very good medium-term option for the reigning champions if they decide to snap him up in the upcoming auction.

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#3 Karun Nair is in splendid form in the shortest format of the game

Karun Nair has never been renowned for his exploits in T20 cricket. However, he is probably at the peak of his powers in the shortest format of the game. Nair scored 532 runs in 12 innings in this year's Maharaja T20 Trophy.

The numbers must be taken with a pinch of salt as it is a domestic tournament featuring just Karnataka players. However, the way Nair batted was impressive. He was the tournament's top scorer, and he scored his runs at a strike rate of 162.69.

This is much higher than his IPL career strike rate of 127.75, hinting at a change in his approach. The Mysuru Warriors skipper will be keen on carrying over this rich vein of form into the IPL if he gets picked in the auction on December 19.