IPL: Watch Chris Gayle's cool reply on being asked about Ben Stokes taking over CSK captaincy from MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made one of the standout purchases in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction on Friday by securing Ben Stokes with a closing bid of Rs 16.25 crore.

And for some, the addition of the talismanic English all-rounder to CSK’s squad for the 16th edition of the league is seen as a long-term investment; not only would they have a tried-and-tested match-winner in their ranks, there are few with stronger credentials as far as succeeding skipper MS Dhoni is concerned.

But what of the question of Stokes taking over from Dhoni right away, with ‘Thala’ serving as a mentor-cum-player or something similar?

West Indies batting legend Chris Gayle answered the question in the briefest manner possible.

“Dhoni. Once you are playing, you lead a team, okay? Done," said the ‘Universe Boss’ during a panel discussion on JioCinema.

Gayle’s views were echoed by World Cup-winning former England captain Eoin Morgan, who said he would wait before passing on the leadership to Stokes in his first season with the ‘Yellow Army’.

“I would personally wait. MS is such big, huge boots to fill. I think when you take over a changing room or want to lead from the front, unless it’s going to be a dual captaincy, you would want it yourself,” added Morgan, who had led KKR to the final in IPL 2021.

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Stokes, who had earlier attracted the highest bids in two consecutive player auctions (2017 and 2018), ended up attracting the third-highest bid at the auction that took place in Kochi on 23 December.

The final bid amount of Rs 16.25 crore is also the joint-third highest bid of all time in the league, with Chris Morris having attracted a similar amount from Stokes’ former franchise Rajasthan Royals in 2021.

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