One of the most successful IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings, has always been an eye-catching team due to the players they’ve invested in, from MS Dhoni to Matthew Hayden. Their smart investments have brought them the best results, leading to an impressive five IPL rophies. The main reason for their success has been their ability to manage money wisely in the IPL auction and find the best fits for the team. However, sometimes they have made mistakes by selecting big names but those big ones failed to perform. But who are those players? See the three big names CSK picked but they failed to deliver in the IPL.
3 worst picks by CSK in IPL Auction
| Player | Auction Edition | Price (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Stokes | 2023 | 16.25 crore |
| Kedar Jadhav | 2018 | 7.8 crore |
| Andrew Flintoff | 2009 | 7.6 crore |
Ben Stokes
The first name on the list is England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is arguably one of the best all-rounders of recent times. He has single-handedly showcased his heroics in white-ball formats for England, whether it’s the 2019 ICC World Cup or the 2022 T20 World Cup. Stokes has been the one to stand out and deliver positive results for the Three Lions. However, when it comes to the IPL, his performance has been mixed overall.
When he was picked by CSK in the 2023 IPL auction, there were high expectations for him to perform just as he did for England. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a disastrous pick for CSK. Despite investing ₹16.25 crore, Stokes’ performance did not justify his salary, as he managed only 15 runs in 2 matches and conceded an 18-run over. Although Stokes also made it clear that he wanted to focus more on red-ball cricket rather than T20s, but CSK still pushed for him. This decision is now considered one of CSK’s biggest blunders.
Kedar Jadhav
It was the 2018 mega auction when Kedar Jadhav received a big paycheck of ₹7.8 crore from the CSK franchise, which bid for him due to his all-round abilities. Known for his wicket-taking skills and urgent run-scoring, Jadhav failed to live up to expectations. He scored a total of 248 runs at a poor strike rate of 96.49, and with the ball, he picked up zero wickets in 23 games during his entire stint with the Yellow franchise. Ultimately, he was released by the Chennai Super Kings in 2021.
Andrew Flintoff
Did you know England’s fiery all-rounder Andrew Flintoff also played in the IPL? In 2009, along with Kevin Pietersen, he received a big paycheck. On one hand, Pietersen secured an impressive ₹9.8 crore deal from Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while on the other, Flintoff was signed by CSK for nearly the same hefty price. However, things didn’t work out as expected. In his extremely short-lived IPL career, Flintoff played only 3 matches, scored just 62 runs, and took 2 wickets.
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