3 CSK players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were not hesitant to go all-out for Ben Stokes at the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, snapping him up for ₹16.25 crore.

Stokes joins a number of high earners at the franchise, including skipper MS Dhoni and former captain Ravindra Jadeja. While Dhoni commands ₹12 crore, Jadeja was the Super Kings' first retention ahead of the IPL 2022 mega-auction at ₹16 crore.

At the same time, Chennai have a bunch of players who are on cut-price deals and offer more to the franchise than their price tags suggest.

Here are three CSK players who are worth way more than their IPL 2023 contracts.

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#3 Mukesh Choudhary

Mukesh Choudhary was one of the lone bright spots for CSK in an otherwise miserable IPL 2022 campaign. As the Men in Yellow finished ninth and missed out on the playoffs, the uncapped pacer returned 16 wickets at an economy rate of 9.32, breaking open games with his penetration in the powerplay.

Mukesh wasn't even expected to be part of CSK's playing XI last year, but Deepak Chahar's injury meant that he leapfrogged the other domestic pacers on the roster to become an integral member of the side. During IPL 2023, the left-arm seamer might even partner Chahar with the new ball.

Mukesh was snapped up for ₹20 lakh by CSK, an amount that seems meager given how potent he was in the previous season. It remains to be seen if he can replicate his exploits this time around.

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#2 Mitchell Santner

New Zealand v India - 2nd ODI

Ravindra Jadeja's presence is the only reason why Mitchell Santner hasn't played more games for CSK. The Kiwi has played only 12 matches over the last four IPL seasons, returning 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.93.

At the IPL 2022 mega-auction, Santner was acquired for ₹1.9 crore by the Super Kings. It was nowhere near his base price, but he's still probably underpaid. The New Zealand star is arguably the best left-arm spinner in the world in T20 cricket, with his pace variations and accuracy, and his batting just sweetens the pot.

Santner might not have a big role to play for CSK in IPL 2023 as well, with Jadeja in the mix and Maheesh Theekshana excelling last year. Speaking of Theekshana...

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#1 Maheesh Theekshana

Australia v Sri Lanka - ICC Men's T20 World Cup

₹70 lakh was all the Chennai Super Kings needed to shell out at the IPL 2022 mega-auction to sign Maheesh Theekshana. The Sri Lankan bowler ended up playing nine games for the Men in Yellow, scalping 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.46.

Theekshana's role is only set to grow bigger this year, with CSK set to play half their league games at Chepauk. The spinner's guile and all-phase prowess were absolutely crucial to MS Dhoni's plans, especially since the skipper didn't have a reliable wrist-spinner to call upon.

Theekshana is one of the best T20 spinners in the world, and his contract was - and continues to be - a massive steal for CSK.