IPL 2021 Auction | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) buy Moeen Ali for INR 7 Crores

England all-rounder Moeen Ali became the latest addition to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as they picked him up for INR 7 crores in the IPL 2021 auction. Chennai Super Kings had just a single overseas slot to fill in their squad and they decided to target Moeen Ali in order to do that. The franchise from Chennai got involved with Punjab Kings in a battle for the 33-year old.

It’s hard not to think that Ali’s latest blitzkrieg at Chepauk inspired the decision from the team management. In the second Test against India in Chennai, Moeen Ali was on song with the bat. In just 18 deliveries, he hit three boundaries and five big sixes to score 43 runs at a strike rate of 238.89. However, that firepower knock arrived when the match was already lost. He also picked up eight wickets in that Test.

Also Read: IND vs ENG : Moeen Ali returns home as England bring Wood, Bairstow for last two Tests against India

Moeen Ali has been among the news lately, for negative reasons. The England selectors had arranged his break from the tour ahead of his eventual leave. However, captain Joe Root accidentally mentioned that Moeen Ali had ‘chosen to leave’ which ended up causing a lot of controversy. Root and Chris Silverwood later apologised to the all-rounder for this inconvenience.

The 33-year-old is a regular feature in England’s T20 lineup and has stepped up his game on the biggest stage. He has 3513 runs from 167 matches at an average of 24.73 and has an amazing strike rate of over 140 in T20 cricket. He has also picked up 110 wickets and has an economy rate well below 8 runs per over.

The England international will be replacing Harbhajan Singh in the CSK squad. The team was in need of an off-spinner and they’ve also managed to bring an interesting hard-hitting floater batsman to the team who’ll be sharing spin duties. Everything considered, this looks like a very good deal for both the parties.