Chennai Super Kings benefit from New Zealand influx on second day of IPL auction

Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, and Devon Conway - all very different players in their own rights - were purchased by the CSK delegation in the Bangalore auction hall on Sunday

Chennai Super Kings went Kiwi heavy on day two of the IPL auction, as three New Zealand stars were signed to play in yellow.

Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, and Devon Conway - all very different players in their own rights - were purchased by the CSK delegation in the Bangalore auction hall on Sunday.

Santner returns to the franchise for whom he played six times in 2019 and 2020. The spinning allrounder cost CSK 1.9 crore (£185,000) but how much gametime he gets is up for debate, with Moeen Ali taking the prime overseas spinning allrounder slot in the squad.

At 29, Milne has previously been on the books of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians. He adds terrific death bowling expertise for his 1.9 crore price tag, and looks to be a likely starter. 

^{Mitchell Santner is heading back to CSK} 

Conway, meanwhile, is an exciting option for CSK. A potent T20 opener, capable of taking the gloves in the absence of MS Dhoni, he will probably take one of the four overseas spots on a regular basis as a partner for Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

Meanwhile, Chris Jordan received a late reprieve courtesy of the Super Kings. Jordan - the England allrounder - went unsold earlier on day two but returned in the accelerated auction and was selected for 3.6 crore (£352,000).

Jordan’s value to England, particularly at the death, has come in for scrutiny in recent months, but he remains one of the world’s best catchers, can hit a long ball at No.7 or No.8 - a commodity which was to found to be in high demand but low supply at this auction - and has more T20 bowling experience than most on the circuit. 

Rajvardhan Hangargekar, a member of the India Under 19 World Cup-winning squad, was a beneficiary of the additional exposure offered by that tournament with a 1.5 crore deal (£147,000).

Meanwhile, Deepak Chahar has given his reaction to becoming the most expensive bowler in IPL auction history on Saturday.

He told Cricinfo: "In 2018, I had met Srinivasan sir, and he has said, 'you will play in yellow always'. So I took his word that day and since then I have never spoken about retention. I knew CSK would bid.

^{Adam Milne is a good death option for the Super Kings}

"We [India's T20I squad] were travelling from Ahmedabad to Kolkata, and the whole team was watching the auction. Everyone was saying [what's the bid price?] and all that.

"I wanted to play for CSK because I haven't imagined myself playing in any other colour than yellow. At one point, I thought [the bid price] was too much. As a CSK player, I also want to build a good team. So after they spent 13 crore, I actually wanted the bidding to stop so I can go to CSK quickly and then we can buy some other players [with the money saved].”

Chennai Super Kings squad: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma