For many seasons, Chennai Super Kings have had the reputation of father’s army. Some of their auction purchases would be bargains or surprises. In IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings have invested heavily in the youth. A total of 28.4 crores was spent on Karthik Sharma and Prashant Veer, two youngsters from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The first impression is that both Prashant and Karthik will get the long haul. When one looks at the dark history of Chennai Super Kings and the way they have handled their expensive purchases, it does not make for a good story.
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Ever since Andrew Flintoff was acquired for US$1.55 million, Chennai Super Kings have had a patchy history in handling their most expensive players. If anyone needs any convincing, just look at how expensive player Chennai Super Kings fared that year.
FROM 2012 TO 2025 – A YEAR OF MIXED RETURNS
During the 2012 auction, Ravindra Jadeja was among the most expensive purchaseswith a bid of almost US$2 million. Big money was a mixed bag for Jadeja in IPL 2012. With the bat, he had a slump with an average of 15 and a strike rate of 126.49. But on the bowling front, he picked up his only five-wicket haul of his IPL career and finished with 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.8. But it also hid the story. Before becoming the most expensive, Jadeja had economy rates of 6.47 and 7.26 in the next two IPLs. So he may have picked wickets, but his economy rate suffered.
One of the few who succeeded despite being expensive was Chris Morris in 2013. After a good run in the Champions League T20, Morris was bought for USD 625 million and played a decent role in Chennai’s run to the finals. He finished with 15 wickets at an economy rate of 8.02, his IPL career best ever. He would take 15 wickets only once. That was in the 2021 season, but at an economic rate of 9.17.
Faf du Plessis had a bigger impact on Chennai Super Kings when he played in 2012. When he was bought for 4.75 crores in 2014, he was the most expensive purchase of the franchise. From an average of 33 and 131 in 2012, his average dropped slightly to 27.54 and 128.9.
It wasn’t too much gain or too much pain with Faf. But in 2015, the trend became more visible. Michael Hussey and Irfan Pathan were bought for Rs 1.5 crore. While Pathan did not play a single match, Hussey managed only four matches with 77 runs at an average of 19 and a strike of 110. Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum paved the way with some attacking cricket, Hussey only got a chance in the play-offs and struggled.
2018 TO 2025 – SMÍLKA MORUJE CSK
After their two-year ban ended, Chennai Super Kings made a comeback in 2018 and bought Kedar Jadhav for Rs 7.8 crore in the auction. Kedar Jadhav was injured in the first game but still chipped in with a vital knock to give CSK a thrilling win over Mumbai Indians. In 2019, Mohit Sharma returned to CSK after a long gap for 5 crores but played in only one game. Picking up just one wicket and conceding 27, Mohit never got a chance. In 2020, Piyush Chawla was bought for Rs 6.75 crore but the franchise did not utilize him fully. In seven matches, Chawla has taken 6 wickets at an economical rate of over 9
But the twist was yet to come. Krishnappa Gowtham became the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history in 2021 when he was picked for Rs 9.25 crore. Shockingly, he never played a single game during CSK’s winning streak.
In 2022, Deepak Chahar was bought for Rs 14 crore, but his back injury ensured that he too did not play a single game. Two seasons, two big buys, but not a single game. In 2023, Ben Stokes was bought for Rs 16.25 crore, which was the most expensive purchase in the history of Chennai Super Kings at that time. He played only two games and scored 15 runs and took no wickets. The number of runs could not surpass his auction total.
in 2024 Daryl Mitchell was bought for Rs 14 crore but failed to live up to expectations. 318 runs at an average of 28.91 and a strike rate of 142.6 were not stunning numbers and certainly fell short of the hype. Perhaps, in what could be good news, Noor Ahmad’s performance offers hope that this charade might end. In 2025, Noor was bought for Rs 10 crore and ended up taking 24 wickets at an economy rate of 8.16.
Over the last 13 years, Chennai Super Kings have not used their big buys effectively. Either injuries or poor form diluted their returns. One hopes that with the investment in youth, Chennai Super Kings will turn the corner and bring the best out of both.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
20 March 2026 15:09 IST
