'MS Dhoni master stroke': Fans believe CSK 'got their next captain' in Ben Stokes at IPL 2023 mini auction

After a failed attempt to acquire Sam Curran, Chennai later went into a bidding war for Jason Holder as well, before eventually getting England Test skipper Ben Stokes for a whopping INR 16.25 crore. And CSK fans hailed the call as a "MS Dhoni master stroke".

Chennai Super Kings sat quietly watching Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians battled it out for Sam Curran during the IPL 2023 mini auction on Friday in Kochi, before they jumped in with a bid of INR 11.75 crore. Punjab Kings too joined the bidding war hoping to get the England all-rounder back. CSK remained in the lead until their bid of INR 15.25 crore was cancelled out by Punjab, who eventually reacquired Curran for a record price of INR 18.5 crore. Chennai later went into a bidding war for Jason Holder as well, before eventually getting England Test skipper Ben Stokes for a whopping INR 16.25 crore. And CSK fans hailed the call as a "MS Dhoni master stroke". (IPL Auction 2023 Live Updates)

MS Dhoni; Ben Stokes

Chennai have been in search for a new captain to replace Dhoni. They went with Ravindra Jadeja last season with Dhoni stepping down from the role just two days before the start of the season. But CSK were left tottering at the bottom end of the table, with Jadeja struggling with form under pressure, before Dhoni took over the reigns again.

With Stokes being bought by CSK for the IPL 2023 season, fans believe that it was a master stroke from Dhoni who picked his successor. Here is how fans reacted…

Stokes was the second player CSK roped in at the end of the first two sets at the IPL 2023 auction. They had acquired Ajinkya Rahane at his base price of INR 50 lakh. IPL 2023 will also be the second time that Dhoni, Rahane and Stokes will be sharing the same dressing room, having earlier played together for the presently-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017, when the team had reached the final.