Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara (Image Credit: Twitter)

Cheteshwar Puraja found his way into Chennai Super Kings in IPL auction 2021 after the latter agreed to pick up the 33-year-old cricket at his base price of Rs. 50 lakh. Pujara, who has been unable to play in the Indian Premier League since 2015 edition, had failed to find a buyer in the previous auction. However, this time, Chennai Super Kings shelled out Rs. 50 lakh to induct the Test specialist in their squad.

Cheteshwar Pujara has been continuously making efforts to enter the Indian Premier League for the last six years. He last played in IPL 2014. Cheteshwar Puajara made his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 and stayed in the team till IPL 2013. He later moved to Kings XI Punjab where he played a season in 2014.

Since 2014, he was a regular part of the national side but could not make it to the Indian Premier League. However, the situation has changed for the Saurashtra cricketer as he will be seen donning a CSK jersey in IPL 2021. As Cheteshwar Pujara moves to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021, we look at three reasons why CSK bought Cheteshwar Pujara in their squad.

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Lakshmipathy Balaji. IPL Auction 2021.
Lakshmipathy Balaji (Image Credit: Twitter)

1. As A Mark Of Respect

Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji clearly said that Cheteshwar Pujara deserved that mark of respect due to his recent performance. Balaji pointed out that Pujara has been giving his sweat and blood for the country in recent games.

“The way he has played recently for India in the recent past, in Australia he deserves that. He deserves that mark of respect. One player I genuinely feel is giving his sweat and blood for the country. I feel genuinely happy for him,” Lakshmipathy Balaji Said.

Balaji said. Cheteshwar Pujara played brilliantly in the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2020-21 and he was a key batsman who helped India to claim a 2-1 series victory against Aussies.

2. Pujara Can Play A Guiding Role For Young Indian Batsmen

33 years old Pujara is an experienced Indian cricketer having played 82 Tests and 5 ODI matches for India. He has also featured in 204 first-class matches which makes him a much-experienced batsman to look upon. His experience will be helpful for the young batsmen in Chennai Super Kings. Pujara can provide good guidance to the youngsters which will eventually help the franchisee on a large scale.

Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara (Image Credit: Twitter)

3. CSK’s Batting Woes Last Season

Chennai Super Kings faced their worst season in IPL 2020 after they finished at the 7th spot in the points table at the end. After Suresh Raina opted out of the tournament in IPL 2020, CSK faced batting woes as they lost 8 matches out of 14.

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Faf du Plessis (449 runs) and Ambari Rayudu (359 runs) were the only two batsmen among the top 25 leading run-scorers in IPL 2020. With Cheteshwar Pujara in the team in IPL 2021, CSK will have great support in the batting zone. Cheteshwar Pujara is a Test specialist but due to his experience in international cricket, he has the ability to make it big in the T20 format as well.

Vikas Singh Derek has been working for Cricketaddictor since February 2021. He has written over 12,000 articles for Cricketaddictor. He is a sports writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience...