“Dhoni, Jadeja, Stokes what a trio...CSK winning 2023 IPL” – Fans react as Ben Stokes joins Ravindra Jadeja at CSK for Rs 16.25 crore

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has joined Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after the MS Dhoni-led side splurged a record Rs 16.25 crore in the IPL 2023 mini-auction in Kochi on Friday, December 23. He is now the most expensive player ever for CSK, surpassing Deepak Chahar.

Stokes joins another star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has been retained for Rs 16 crore, in the squad. With their three-dimensional games, the duo will look to guide CSK to their fifth IPL trophy next year and give a fitting farewell to Dhoni.

Ben Stokes has so far played 43 IPL games, where he scored 920 runs and picked up 28 wickets. He stepped up for England in the recently concluded T20 World Cup final to help them lift the trophy once again after a 12-year gap. The 31-year-old also played a pivotal role in helping England win the 2019 World Cup at home.

It's also worth mentioning that the current England Test skipper has revolutionized the longer form of cricket with nine wins in 10 Tests. He will also bring a leadership quality to replace Dhoni as the CSK captain in the future.

Fans went gaga as CSK roped in Stokes ahead of the IPL 2023 season. They feel that Jadeja and Stokes will be a deadly combination in the next IPL season.

Here are some of the best Twitter reactions:

IPL 2023: Ben Stokes joins CSK after a fierce bidding war

Ben Stokes will play for his third IPL team after earlier being a part of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). He was previously bought by RR for Rs 12.5 crore in IPL 2018 but was released after pulling out of the tournament due to an injury last season.

Stokes entered the auction with a Rs. 2 crore base price but was sold to CSK for Rs. 16.25 crore after a fierce bidding war against RR, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He has previously worked with Dhoni and Stephen Fleming at RPS in IPL 2017, helping the franchise reach the final.

CSK retentions: MS Dhoni (capt), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana.