From Faf du Plessis to Albie Morkel, there is no question that all these players performed well when they played for the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings. Now, with the IPL 2025 mega auction approaching, there is an expectation that South Africans, who are naturally big hitters, will be in high demand. We have seen in recent years players like Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram, who are excellent examples of destructive batters. Also, in bowling, Kagiso Rabada is currently enjoying a high in his career.
Chennai Super Kings are surely looking forward to getting some South African mix into the team, as the mega auction will give them the opportunity to acquire a few top-notch South African players. So, which players might they target? See three top-quality South African cricketers CSK can consider for IPL 2025.
Kagiso Rabada
The first name which CSK may target is Kagiso Rabada. Although the chances are extremely slim of him getting out of the Punjab Kings pack, as he is currently at the peak of his career, taking wickets all over. Recently, he stamped his name by becoming the fastest bowler to reach 300 Test wickets based on balls bowled, which shows how great a bowler he is. Now, there are no restrictions for any camp on how many foreign players they can take, giving the boost that the Punjab Kings may go for him.
But if they don’t, then CSK should target Kagiso Rabada. In the last two seasons, we have seen how CSK has conceded more than 200 runs, which is surely not a good sign. They have young players like Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, and Tushar Deshpande, but adding an experienced name to the bowling lineup would be the best move. In this scenario, Rabada’s name comes first from the South African side.
Aiden Markram
Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain in SA20 led the team to the trophy not once but twice, in 2023 and 2024. Although in the IPL, especially last season, he didn’t have a good outing for SRH, the team did a wonderful job under Pat Cummins, reaching the finals. However, Markram didn’t come up to the mark as a whole, in the 11 games he played, he made 220 runs, but the concerning factor was his strike rate of 124, which doesn’t suit this explosive batter. Now, the chances are SRH may release him, and in that scenario, we might see CSK go for him, as CSK is expected to make big changes. Markram provides both batting and bowling, which is currently missing from the yellow jersey mix. Yes, they do have Ravindra Jadeja and Darren Mitchell, although Mitchell’s retention is still not confirmed. With the stroke-making ability Markram has, he can also control the run rate in the middle overs with his spin and is also capable of taking wickets, making him a worthy player for CSK.
Gerald Coetzee
South Africa emerging pacer Gerald Coetzee came into the limelight during last year’s ODI World Cup in India. And then he played for MI in IPL 2024, as the five-time champions pulled him into the squad at a hefty price of Rs 5 crore. He performed decently for MI, although Mumbai Indians failed to make any impact last season, finishing at 10th in the IPL 2024 standings. However, Coetzee grabbed attention by picking up 13 wickets in the 10 matches he played. But his economy rate was slightly high, it is understandable considering when he bowls, which is usually in the powerplay or in the death overs.
Now, the chances are MI will first retain their core players, including Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, which means Coetzee may get released. As mentioned, CSK needs bowlers, and if they are unable to acquire Kagiso Rabada, then there is no doubt that Coetzee would be a suitable option for them in the upcoming IPL 2025.
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