Indian Premier League Observer

DLF IPL’s Chennai Super Kings, which made the highest bid in the player auction for India’s Twenty 20 and ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said the team’s strategy was to form the most competitive bunch of players for the tournament.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was bagged by Chennai Super Kings for $1.5 million.

Meanwhile Tamil film star Vijay and actress Nayantara have been roped in as the team’s Star ambassadors. At the introduction yesterday, Vijay was definitely off-colour, sitting sheepishly on a tinsel throne under the smoke and lights. Did not look like all his acting skills came to his rescue!

Chennai Super Kings cricketing affairs head V B Chandrasekar hinted that the team wanted M S Dhoni at any cost, adding it had decided to go in for four top batsmen apart from all-rounders and class bowlers including Makaya Ntini (200,000) and Muthaiah Muralitharan ($600,000).

Chennai Super Kings also bagged Australian opener Matthew Hayden for $375,000.

The team, captained by Indian ODI captain MS Dhoni, includes Mathew Hayden and Mike Hussey of Australia, Stephen Fleming and Jacob Oram of New Zealand, Makhaya Ntini and Albie Norket from South Africa, Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, and Indian players Suresh Raina and Joginder Sharma.  Lakshmipathy Balaji  who has not played a single match for India since 2005 has also been hired by the Chennai IPL team as an additional bowler.