Ranking all of Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2023 purchases based on their performances this season

After a poor IPL 2022, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) showed everyone why they are probably the best team in the tournament's history as they were crowned champions for the fifth time. The Super Kings defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in the final of the recently concluded IPL 2023.

Despite not having a renowned bowling attack, CSK did remarkably well to not only go deep in the tournament but go all the way to lift the trophy.

One of the major reasons behind CSK's success this season was their skipper MS Dhoni. The Indian legend led his troops incredibly well and brought the best out of almost every individual in crunch situations.

Dhoni had a roster of 25 players ahead of the season, out of which seven were bought during the IPL 2023 auction. Unfortunately for the side, Kyle Jamieson and Mukesh Choudhary were ruled out of the tournament due to injuries. However, CSK roped in Sisanda Magala and Akash Singh as replacement players during the season.

On that note, let's rank all the Chennai Super Kings purchases at the IPL 2023 auction based on how they fared in this year's competition.

Note: Only players who played at least one game have been considered.

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#1 Ajinkya Rahane - 9/10

Ajinkya Rahane was excellent for CSK [IPLT20]

When CSK signed up Ajinkya Rahane for his base price of ₹50 lakhs at the mini-auction, it didn't excite the CSK fans much. Many thought that he would be only a backup option as an opener.

However, the IPL veteran moulded himself into a lethal middle-order batter and exhibited some serious T20 batting. He got a chance in CSK's third game of the season, which was against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium.

Rahane took everyone by surprise, and smoked 61 runs off 27 balls at his home ground, showcasing a great temperament. Three games later, the 34-year-old played another phenomenal innings, where he clobbered 71* runs off only 29 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Overall, Rahane scored 326 runs across 11 innings for CSK. His phenomenal strike rate of 172.5 was the second-best by any Indian who scored over 200 runs in the tournament.

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#2 Akash Singh - 7/10

Akash Singh pumped up after taking Virat Kohli's wicket [IPLT20]

Signed up as a replacement for Mukesh Choudhary, Akash Singh did decently in the opportunities he got this season with CSK.

He is a left-arm pacer, who can swing the ball up front, while also possessing a good yorker in him. Akash made his debut for CSK against his former franchise, Rajasthan Royals (RR), and returned with his career-best figures of 2/40.

While his economy rate of 9.89 in this season was certainly a bit on the higher side, the 21-year-old will only grow in the future. He took five wickets in six innings for CSK. Among those five scalps was also the prized wicket of Virat Kohli.

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#3 Ben Stokes - 6/10

Ben Stokes had an underwhelming IPL 2023 [IPLT20]

With the addition of Ben Stokes, the Chennai unit looked like a well-oiled machine after the IPL 2023 auction. After all, their most expensive signing ever (₹16.25 crore) is a player considered the best all-rounder going around the international circuit.

However, Stokes, who came in with a lot of hype, also had some injuries concerns with him. After playing just two games for CSK, Stokes was forced to miss out from the next couple of games due to a toe injury he suffered while practising.

His issues initially in the tournament, and then CSK playing on home turf on slow turners, meant that Moeen Ali was preferred over him and Stokes was relegated to the bench.

As mentioned earlier, the left-hander got only two chances in the recently-concluded tournament but couldn't make the most of his opportunities. The 31-year-old could only make 15 runs at a strike rate of 107.14. He also bowled just one over in those games, leaking 18 runs in the process.

Despite his side lifting the silverware, it was a forgettable season for Stokes personally. The Chennai camp would bank on him to come back stronger and probably rule the roost for the franchise next year.

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#4 Sisanda Mangala - 5.5/10

Sisanda Magala played two games for CSK in IPL 2023 [IPLT20]

Another replacement player on the list is Sisanda Magala, who was brought into the side after Kyle Jamieson was ruled out of the competition.

Magala had a great SA20 earlier this year and took 14 wickets across 12 innings while playing for the Joburg Super Kings. However, participating in his very first IPL season, it didn't go as planned for the South African pacer.

Magala made his IPL 2023 debut against the Mumbai Indians (MI), where he took 1/37. However, in the next game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), he could only bowl two overs before sustaining a finger injury while taking a catch.

Although Magala was fit enough to play in the second half of the tournament, CSK didn't need to utilize him as Matheesha Pathirana bowled remarkably well as an overseas pacer.

With Magala set to turn 33 before the next season, CSK are likely to explore other options.