IPL: 5 auction blunders committed by Chennai Super Kings over the years

Great cricket teams are recognized by their consistency in dominating tournaments over a period of time.

The advent of T20 made the world hesitant to judge teams based on the same parameter, as the nature of the format was so volatile. But if there is one team that has been able to achieve that consistency, it is Chennai Super Kings.

They have been the one of the most successful teams in domestic T20 history, winning three Indian Premier League titles and two Champions League T20 trophies. The core of the team and the coaching management have been the same all these years, and that has led to their success.

Moreover, they have been very smart in devising their auction strategies, and have built a strong team that has qualified for the play-offs every year.

But there have been a few instances when even their calculations have gone miserably wrong and have cost them titles. With the auction for the 2019 season coming up in a fortnight, let us look at some of the auction blunders made by CSK over the years.

#1 2009 – Andrew Flintoff – 1.55m USD

Andrew Flintoff

Probably the best all-rounder in his time, Andrew Flintoff was not allowed to play in the inaugural edition of IPL as the England Cricket Board were reluctant to send their players. But the impact and popularity of the first season were so great that the ECB gave NOCs to all their big names for the second season.

Going into the 2009 auction, CSK had the biggest purse of 2 million US dollars and looked like favorites to grab the burly Lancashire man. They made him the highest earning player in IPL by bidding at a price of $1.55m.

But the buy didn’t pay any dividends as Flintoff was taken to the cleaners in the three matches he played, leaking runs at an economy rate of 9.54. With the bat he could muster only 66 runs at a strike-rate of 116.98 before injury ruled him out of that season.

There is a conspiracy theory that the auction was rigged to help CSK’s bid, as suggested by a leak of email conversations between Lalit Modi and N. Srinivasan. But looking back, CSK won’t be happy at all with this deal.

#2 2013 – Chris Morris – US$ 625,000

Chris Morris

Chris Morris impressed everyone with his all-round skills in the 2012 Champions League T20, which included an impressive spell of 4-0-7-2 in the semifinals. He was also handy with the bat, producing some lusty blows in the death overs.

In fact, it was his cameo that knocked CSK out of the 2012 CLT20. The MSD-led team were determined to get him on board, as they paid 31 times his base price to get his services for the 2013 edition.

Although Morris played a majority of the tournament, he couldn’t create an impact as CSK lost their third final in six years.

Representing Chennai, he played 16 matches but contributed a meagre 14 runs with the bat. Although he frequently came into bat with only a few balls to spare, there were number of occasions when the CSK batting collapsed and Morris couldn’t do anything to repair the damage.

With the ball, he played second fiddle to Dwayne Bravo and Mohit Sharma but couldn’t create an impact that could have justified his price tag.

#3 2015 – Irfan Pathan – INR 1.5 crore

Irfan Pathan

Having adopted an all-Indian bowling attack in the 2014 season, CSK lacked a quality all-rounder. That came back to haunt them as their bowlers were smashed by Virender Sehwag for a whirlwind 122 off 58 balls in the 2nd qualifier, which knocked them out of the tournament.

They did buy Irfan Pathan for just INR 1.5 crore, and he was expected to play a key role for the Super Kings. Going into the 2015 season, he was the only Indian to have achieved the double of 1000 runs and 75 wickets in the IPL. But he just didn't play enough for CSK to make much of a difference.

Pathan was expected to be a part of the playing XI from the start of the season, but injury ruled him out of the first two weeks. To the surprise of everyone, he was left out of the team as Pawan Negi was preferred ahead of him.

The fans kept calling for his inclusion in the side, but the management just didn't pick him in the side often enough. Maybe that's a blunder they regret now.

#4 2018 – Mark Wood – INR 1.5 crore

Mark Wood

The success of the Chennai Super Kings over the years has been largely due to their strong Indian core in all departments. A combination of one or two batsmen and all-rounders filled up three overseas slots, and a fast bowler completed the quota of four.

Players like Doug Bollinger, Makhaya Ntini and Ben Hilfenhaus have been the fast bowlers who have delivered for the Chennai-based franchise over the years.

In 2018, coming back after a two-year suspension, the Stephen Fleming-led management was looking adopt a similar strategy in the auction and were targeting overseas fast bowlers. They bought Kagiso Rabada for INR 4.2 crore, but the Delhi Daredevils used the Right to Match card to retain his services.

CSK also lost bidding wars for Pat Cummins and Chris Woakes to Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. So they were left with no choice but to opt for Mark Wood.

The Durham pacer conceded 49 runs in 4 overs in the tournament opener, and was left out for the subsequent matches. CSK made a blunder with their reluctance to spend that extra bit of money to buy impactful players.

#5 2018 – Karn Sharma – INR 5 crore

Karn Sharma

Leg-spinners are a force to reckon with in modern day T20 cricket, as is evident from the fact that they occupy the top 6 spots in the ICC T20I bowlers' rankings.

But despite Chennai being a spin-friendly track, barring Samuel Badree for a few matches, CSK have never had a good leg-spinner in their team. So in 2018, the owners were determined to get in a few leg-spinners.

But the auction dynamics are such that skills may not be the only factor that determines the price. Karn Sharma for CSK was one such case.

Karn is not a conventional leg-spinner and relies only on line and length with pace to deceive the batsmen. He was bought for INR 5 crore but he did little to justify the price tag.

His economy rate of 9.37 was worst among leg-spinners in 2018. With all due respect to him, CSK could have spent the same amount to buy other leg-spinners who either went for a lesser price or went unsold.