And, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be no different as it has some gaps to fill at the IPL 2021 auction, set to take place at a city hotel on Thursday. MS Dhoni-led CSK, which failed to qualify for the play-offs for the first time in its history last year, has a purse amount of Rs 19.9 crore, fourth-highest among the eight teams. 

Having retained 18 players from the previous edition and added Robin Uthappa to its roster via a trade, Super Kings has six available slots, including one for a foreigner. Since the auction will take place here in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, three-time title-winner CSK will have to make do with just three top members on the table. “We don’t have our entire group in Chennai. Only bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji, franchise director George John and I will be present at the auction. We have taken our RT-PCR tests, which have come out negative. All the others will connect with us virtually,” Super Kings CEO KS Viswanathan revealed to DT Next on Wednesday. After a disappointing outing in IPL 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), CSK will be keen on making a roaring comeback in the upcoming edition. The first step to reach that goal has to be taken at the auction, where as many as 292 players will be up for grabs. “We are prepared as it is a small auction and the requirements are not many,” added Viswanathan.