IPL Auction 2018: 5 foreign players Chennai Super Kings should have on their radar

The IPL is entering its second decade and the most exciting news so far has been the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, after a suspension of two years.

CSK, in particular, was missed by many fans across the country in the past two seasons. The two-time IPL champions have been one of the most successful teams in IPL history; the MS Dhoni-led side captured the imagination of fans all over the world.

During the retention period, CSK decided to bring MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja back into the fold. A move, which was extremely well received by their fans.

With 1,122 players from different countries registering themselves for the grand auction to follow, here is a list of 5 foreign players who are the ideal choices for CSK to grab at the auction:

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#5 Dwayne Bravo

Bravo is a great asset in this format of the game

It was surprising to see that Chennai Super Kings opted to retain Ravindra Jadeja ahead of a proven performer like Dwayne Bravo. In the IPL, he has picked up 122 wickets in 106 matches at a strike rate of 16.5. He is also an exceptional batsman, well known for his hard-hitting abilities.

Bravo possesses a deadly slower yorker, which has bamboozled many a batsman, which dips in at the last moment after initially appearing to be a juicy full toss.

Bravo is also an electric fielder and is the complete package. His all-round abilities suggest that CSK should lock him up once again using the RTM option.

#4 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan has set the BBL ablaze!

Rashid Khan became the first Afghanistani to play in the Indian Premier League when he donned the orange of the Sunrisers Hyderabad last season. His spin bowling baffled many batsmen, and the youngster emerged as the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 17 wickets from 14 games at a reasonable economy rate of 6.62.

By the virtue of his IPL performances, he earned a contract in the Big Bash League with the Adelaide Strikers club. He has been in red-hot form in the ongoing Big Bash, bagging 12 wickets from seven games at an economy of exactly 5.

With MSD, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, the retained players for Chennai based franchise, an enigmatic spinner like Rashid Khan can be the perfect fit for CSK.

#3 Faf du Plessis

The South African has been one of CSK's most consistent performers over the years

Du Plessis, the South African skipper, would be an amazing batsman to have in the middle order for any franchise. With Raina and Du Plessis in the middle order and Dhoni playing the finishing hand, the CSK batting lineup would look splendid, to say the least.

If he plays at Number 3 or 4, Du Plessis will get a reasonable number of balls to make a significant impact in the game. This will help him assert his dominance in the game. Above all, he is a tremendous fielder on the field.

The right-hander has scored 1300 runs in 53 matches with a strike rate of 127+ in the tournament. CSK will be a dominant team with the willow if they are able to get him in the auction.

#2 Andrew Tye

In the past couple of years, Andrew Tye has been a revelation as a death bowling specialist across T20 cricket. Good death bowlers are the most sought-after prospects after hard-hitting batsmen in this format of the game and the auction will probably see this bowler go at a massive price this time around.

He accounted for a hat-trick in the last edition of the IPL and picked up another in the ongoing season of the Big Bash League. He is the currently the highest wicket-taker in the BBL, with 16 wickets to his name in just six matches.

Tye’s abilities to restrict the batsmen and claim wickets at regular intervals are what will make him be one of the best players to watch out for for the Chennai franchise.

#1 Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis has made a name for himself in the T20 arena with his explosive hitting at the top of the order in recent months. The 26-year-old is one of the finest T20 players in the world at the moment and his record in the format is nothing short of outstanding.

However, he has never featured in the Indian Premier League. However, that looks likely to change this year.

The West Indian batsman has three T20 hundreds to his name in 84 matches and has an overall strike rate of 146.06. He smashed 371 runs in 12 matches in the last edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and his stocks are expected to go up and up in this edition of the IPL auction.

With CSK looking for an able batsman to replace Dwayne Smith at the top of the order, they could certainly use a hard hitter like Lewis to fit that criterion. He has the ability to take the game away from the opposition single-handedly and will be the ideal replacement for a swashbuckling opener like Smith.