Kamal Ghorui
CHENNAI: When Chennai Super Kings shelled out a staggering ?14.2 crore each for fresh faces Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma at last Dec’s IPL mini auction, it turned heads. The two even became the joint-most-expensive uncapped Indian players ever signed at an IPL auction.For a franchise known for the ‘dad’s army’ tag and stability, there’s been a clear shift of late. Injuries have played a part but the churn in the squad is hard to miss, with youngsters like Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Prashant and Kartik all getting a run. The franchise has been trading its signature settled core for a long-term investment, betting that blooding these youth now will yield dividends for years to come.CSK batting coach Michael Hussey acknowledged that the team is in a phase of transition. “In a lot of ways, it’s quite a new team. You know, there’s quite a few new players there that have come in, some good young talent that we want to expose to some games as well. Ideally speaking, we’d love to settle in on an 11 or a 12 that we’re very comfortable with and then just sort of let those guys really grow into their roles. So hopefully, we can string a bit of form together, a few wins together, and then hopefully we’ll have that confidence to stick with that same sort of team moving through.”That approach is evident in the way they have persisted with 20-year-old Kartik. The wicketkeeper-batter has endured a lean run in his first five matches. Yet, Hussey remains confident that he is just one game away from finding his stride. “He’s a great talent; I hope we can see him here at CSK for the next five, 10 years. He is ambitious and wants to do well. We’d love to give him as much opportunity as possible and watch him really grow into that CSK shirt,” he said.
