The Chennai-based franchise released a total of eight players ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, which will be held in Kochi on December 23. The retired Robin Uthappa, Narayan Jagadeesan, Adam Milne, Chris Jordan, KM Asif, Hari Nishaanth, and Bhagath Varma were the other players released from the previous squad.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Manjrekar was asked about his views on CSK releasing Bravo. He responded:
The former Indian cricketer highlighted that Bravo can still hold his own as a death bowler, although he acknowledged his waning returns as a batter, elaborating:
Bravo scalped 16 wickets at an acceptable economy rate of 8.70 in the 10 matches he played in IPL 2022. He could only manage 23 runs at a below-par strike rate of 95.83 in the six knocks he played.
“Amongst all the aging players last season, I thought he looked the best” - Sanjay Manjrekar on CSK retaining Ambati Rayudu
Manjrekar was further asked about the areas CSK would want to strengthen. He replied:
The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that while Ambati Rayudu might deliver the goods in IPL 2023, MS Dhoni’s side will have to bolster their middle order. He stated:
Rayudu scored 274 runs at a decent strike rate of 122.32 in the 11 innings he played in IPL 2022. The 37-year-old even announced his retirement on social media after the tournament. However, he was asked by CSK management to reverse his decision.
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