CHENNAI: When Chennai Super Kings shelled out a staggering Rs 14.2 crore for new faces Prashant Vir and Kartik Sharma in the IPL mini-auction last December, they turned heads. The two even became the most expensive Indian non-tournament players ever signed at the IPL auction.For a franchise known for its “Dad’s Army” tag and stability, there has been a definite shift as of late. Injuries have played a part, but it’s hard to miss the turmoil in the team, with youngsters like Aayush Mhatre, Orvil Patel, Prashant and Kartik all firing on all cylinders. The franchise has traded its premium stable core for a long-term investment, betting that the blood of these youngsters now will pay dividends for years to come.CSK batting coach Michael Hussey admitted that the team is going through a transition phase. “In many ways, it’s a completely new team. You know, there’s a fair number of new players coming into the team, and some good young talent that we want to expose in some games as well. Ideally, we’d like to settle into an 11 or 12 position that we feel comfortable with and then allow those players to really develop in their roles. So hopefully we can string a little bit of form together, get some wins together, and then hopefully we’ll get that confidence.” To stick with the same type of team that is moving.
“This approach is evident in the way they continued with 20-year-old Kartik. The wicket-keeper-batsman has endured a poor performance in his first five matches. However, Hussey remains confident that he is just one game away from hitting his stride. “He is a great talent; I hope we can see him here at CSK for the next five-10 years. He is ambitious and wants to do well. We would like to give him as many opportunities as possible and watch him really grow in a CSK jersey,” he said.
