It’s 2008. The T20 revolution has just begun permeating the Indian cricketing community and the Indian Premier League (IPL) has promised to change the sport forever. A franchise-based and auction-dependent system has also been devised – something that has never been seen in the country (on a legitimate basis, at least).
As the eight teams gather for the auction in Mumbai, there is a tinge of the unknown sprinkled all over it. Each outfit has stalwarts in its coaching and auction planning departments. Yet, no one really knows what the IPL is going to entail and the kind of madness that is to unfold.
The representatives of the eight franchises settle down, take in a deep breath and start deciphering what strategies would work best. For a few minutes, everyone is looking at each other, almost to steal a glance and understand what the other has in mind.
All of that, though, goes in vain. Each team, including the Chennai Super Kings, holds its cards close to its chest, meaning that when the auction starts, almost everyone heaves a sigh of relief. Not because the IPL is finally upon them, but because the start of the auction, more than anything else, cuts through the tension.
The first name out of the auction bag is that of Shane Warne – a cricketer who needs no introduction. He has courted a couple of unwanted controversies during his time as an international cricketer. His tactical nous, however, remains unparalleled. The Rajasthan Royals do everything in their power to acquire the leg-spinner. They don’t spend much but they do enough to stave off rival franchises’ interests.
The other teams, meanwhile, cast a slight eye of envy. They know they have missed out on a special cricketer. Deep down, though, they are aware that their time in the auction will come. There is also a sense of anticipation around the identity of the next player.
Investing in MS Dhoni
To most franchises’ delight, MS Dhoni comes out of the auction bag. Dhoni has just cast himself as the poster boy of Indian white-ball cricket. He has led a team of misfits and youngsters to a historic triumph in the T20 World Cup, and has also assumed ODI and T20I captaincy responsibilities for India.
Fair to say then that his acquisition, irrespective of the amount coughed up, would be a massive coup. Not just because of his multi-faceted CV, but also because he had, by then, portrayed the potential to dominate the Indian cricketing landscape for a significant amount of time.
The bidding for the wicket-keeper is absolutely manic. Most teams try to dip themselves into the auction, hoping that it turns their way. Ultimately, though, only two remain in this slugfest – the Mumbai Indians and of course, the CSK.
Both outfits fight tooth and nail. For MI, Dhoni is the ideal foil to Sachin Tendulkar. For CSK, he is a cricketer who could potentially define their franchise. Eventually, CSK triumph and metaphorically promise to themselves that this investment, 10 years down the line, will be worth every penny.
They end up splashing 1.5 million USD on Dhoni – an amount no other team manages to put together for any other player in 2008. The franchise could’ve easily backed off, considering they had a few other holes to plug too. But they didn’t.
They bid for the 2008 version of Dhoni, and for what he could bring to the table for the next decade. It was, at the time, an out-of-the-box solution, considering each team wanted to win the inaugural edition of the IPL and not worry about the future. But it was a decision that CSK, in their self-made bubble, were always willing to make.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Chennai Super Kings Make Their Own Rules
The 2008 auction seemed pretty straightforward from CSK’s perspective. After Dhoni’s arrival, they concentrated on players who didn’t necessarily set pulses racing but suited their style of play perfectly.
The likes of Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, and Muttiah Muralitharan were extraordinary cricketers. However, they didn’t have as much star value as Adam Gilchrist, Mahela Jayawardene, Ricky Ponting, and Sanath Jayasuriya.
This trend has continued for CSK post the opening auction in 2008. Apart from a couple of seasons where they bought Andrew Flintoff (2009) and Ravindra Jadeja (2012), they have never bought the most expensive player at a particular auction.
Even with Flintoff and Jadeja, the idea was clear. Both represented top-class all-rounders and while the Flintoff experiment didn’t materialise as expected, Jadeja has carved an incredible niche at CSK.
So, there is a method to the CSK madness. They only over-spend when they feel a cricketer will epitomise what the franchise stands for, and if he can contribute in more ways than one. On all other occasions, they have been content to let the auction pass them by and have only sprung into action when necessary.
Quite often, that has led to fans from other teams ridiculing them. Back in 2018 (the last time a full-fledged auction was held), CSK brought on board what was dubbed the Dad’s Army. They have won half of the IPLs that have happened since.
The arrivals of Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Lungi Ngidi, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, and Shardul Thakur didn’t make a lot of “cricketing sense”. Some had middling records at their previous franchises, whereas others were deemed to be too old.
CSK, though, managed to extract every ounce of performance from these cricketers, indicating that this franchise, despite not adhering to conventional logic and wisdom, finds a way to tick.
The Yellow Army have also not gone searching for more attractive and headline-making options. They have stuck to their guns and have placed faith in the players they believe will fit like a glove.
In 2008, there were a few alternatives to Dhoni. But when N Srinivasan (India Cements de-facto head) and the late great VB Chandrasekhar (the team director then) put their foot down, there was only going to be one outcome.
Will Chennai Super Kings Need to Alter Their Ways?
Which brings us to the kind of tack CSK will adopt on 12 and 13 February 2022. Not only do they have to build from scratch, they have to ensure that this team serves them for years to come.
If history is used as an indicator, you can probably bet on CSK leaning towards experience. They anyway don’t pay heed to what others say, and their mantra of banking on veterans has already fetched them incredible success. This time, though, there could be a slight spin to that story.
A couple of months ago, CSK retained Dhoni, Gaikwad, Jadeja, and Moeen. While Dhoni might have entered the twilight of his illustrious career, Jadeja and Moeen are at the peak of their powers. Gaikwad, on the other hand, has burst onto the scene as a precocious youngster.
Even if you discount Dhoni, CSK have enough of a core to sustain themselves for the next three years. The Yellow Army, though, would know the value of a seamless transition, meaning that they might want to bring a few youngsters through the door too.
These youngsters wouldn’t just get a chance to learn from cricketers of the ilk of Dhoni, Jadeja, and Moeen, they will, in all likelihood, replace them and become the flag-bearers of the franchise.
As absurd as it might sound, CSK could prioritise players who are either at the peak of their powers or are just on the verge of unlocking their true potential.
CSK might bid for players who won’t make you jump out of your seats – all while ensuring that the CSK whole remains greater than the sum of its parts. And their emphasis, as always, will be on Indian players.
However, if CSK find someone (hello, Ishan Kishan, Kagiso Rabada, and Shahrukh Khan) who they feel can be the face of their franchise for the next 10 years – much like Dhoni was in 2008, they might just, in contrast to their reputation, break the bank.
Oh, and don’t be surprised if players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Shikhar Dhawan, who have seemingly run their race, arrive at CSK and tear up the IPL to shreds. A Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav renaissance under Dhoni’s stewardship can’t be ruled out either.
With a couple of days remaining, we can brainstorm and spend countless hours trying to decipher what CSK have up their sleeve. But till the auctioneer drops the gavel, we will not have a clue. The key here is that CSK know what they are doing.
They could continue sticking to what has paid dividends historically. Or, they could twist and adopt a more devil-may-care approach, buying players from the top shelves and creating as high-profile a team as they have ever put out.
Such extremes, however, aren’t emblematic of the franchise, meaning that their auction will, in all likelihood, be defined by a mechanism evolved somewhere in between. And so far, those have worked out just fine.
Over the years, CSK’s auctions have often been metronomic in nature. They don’t bid crazy amounts for a high-profile player and rarely snap up players labelled as the “next big thing”. They seldom end up with a squad that makes their fan base drool and become giddy, imagining the dizzying heights they could scale.
What has always happened, though, is that they have found a way to make things tick. It happens in the most extraordinary of circumstances and it happens when it makes absolutely no sense. Their decisions often seem so wrong that they ultimately become right.
Whether it be an intense round of bidding for Dhoni in 2008, a reiteration with Jadeja in 2012, or completely throwing every auction-related manual out of the window in 2018 – CSK know how to think out of the box and yet stay in the unique compartment of equanimity they have crafted for themselves.
It isn’t a very ubiquitous recipe for success and it certainly can’t be found in most cricketing markets. But CSK have, through raw instinct and a bit of meticulous planning, made it a commonplace in their ecosystem.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)