'I know you're not new but...': MS Dhoni to Ben Stokes in front of N Srinivasan before CSK vs GT IPL 2023 opener
IPL 2023 CSK vs GT: In MS Dhoni and Ben Stokes, Chennai Super Kings have the present and future.
In MS Dhoni and Ben Stokes, Chennai Super Kings have the present and future of the IPL. Dhoni has been the mainstay of CSK, from all the way back from 2008. Dhoni captain CSK en route to them franchise becoming the most successful team in IPL history, and although Mumbai Indians hold the record winning the most number of IPL trophies, CSK will remain the most consistent making it to the playoffs more than any other team. With Dhoni already 41 years of age, it is no surprise that Stokes is the man to usher CSK into the future. It is still not known if IPL 2023 is Dhoni's last season but if it is, CSK's future is in great hands with Stokes.
To commemorate CSK and its legacy as the players return at the home ground of the Chepauk, the team organised a get together, an event titled 'An Evening with Super Kings' where Dhoni offered a warm welcome to all the new arrivals. Among them was Stokes, who was picked by CSK at the IPL 2023 auction for ₹16.25 crore, and with N Srinivasan, the former chairman of ICC, president of BCCI and managing director of India Cements, Dhoni welcomed Stokes with open arms.
"I would like to welcome all the new players. Ben, I know you are not new, but you are new for CSK so please, I request you to come on stage," he said.
Watch the video below:
All the newcomers of the franchise were presented their respective jerseys with Stokes donning the No. 55. Shaik Rasheed was handed No. 66 and Ajinkya Rahane No. 21. Also present were the likes of Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu who collected their jerseys from CEO Kasi Viswanathan and coach Stephen Fleming respectively. Fleming then dished out a speech after which the players dispersed. Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad, along with others, were seen chatting away as the camera even caught Dhoni and Srinivasan – one of Indian cricket's most famous duos having a conversation. At the IPL auction, CSK spent ₹20.45 crore to acquire the services of seven cricketers which are as follows.
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1. Ajinkya Rahane (India) - INR 50 lakh
2. Ben Stokes (England) - INR 16.25 crore
3. Nishant Sindhu (India) - INR 60 lakh
4. Shaik Rasheed (India) - INR 20 lakh
5. Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand) - INR 1 crore
6. Ajay Mandal (India) - INR 20 lakh
7. Bhagath Varma (India) - INR 20 lakh
Dhoni, Devon Conway, Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Chahar, Prashant Solanki and Maheesh Theekshana were the retained players.