IPL 2023 Chennai Super Kings Probable Playing XI: Where will Ben Stokes fit in MS Dhoni’s CSK

Chennai Super Kings have already started preparing for life after MS Dhoni. The current CSK skipper will probably play in his final Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2023. Most of CSK’s plans at the IPL 2023 mini auction last Friday (December 23) were focused on planning for the future.

The CSK team management went all out to buy England Test captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes for Rs 16.25 crore. Stokes last played in IPL in 2021 season for the Rajasthan Royals. He has also been a teammate of Dhoni at the Rising Pune Super Giants team back in IPL 2017, when CSK were banned from the IPL.

It will be interesting to see where Stokes slots into the CSK Playing XI in IPL 2023. Stokes will join England teammate Moeen Ali, New Zealand opener Devon Conway and Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana as the first-choice four overseas players when the season begin.

Ben there! Done that!
Let's recreate the super times, @benstokes38? _#WhistlePodu #Yellove __ pic.twitter.com/B9EobbpK2e — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 26, 2022

Apart from Stokes and Ali, Dhoni’s side have other useful all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar, as well – provided they are fit for the entire duration of IPL 2023. Dhoni would probably be grooming Stokes for captaincy after CSK’s experiment with Ravindra Jadeja as captain failed miserably in IPL 2022.

Jadeja was replaced mid-way through the last season by Dhoni as captain. But Stokes has shown maturity and temperament to handle the captaincy burden with England and should be a fine replacement for Dhoni at the helm

CSK Probable Playing XI for IPL 2023

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana.

CSK IPL 2023 SQUAD

Wicketkeepers: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway (NZ).

Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane.

All-rounders: Moeen Ali (ENG), Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius (SA), Mitchell Santner (NZ), Ben Stokes (ENG), Kyle Jamieson (NZ), Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma, Nishant Sindhu.

Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana (SL), Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana (SL)