By IANS
Chennai : Former India one-day cricket opener V.B. Chandrasekar sees his appointment as the chief selector of the Chennai Super Kings team for the inaugural Indian Premier League as a new challenge and feels it is a good thing that the side doesn’t have an iconic player.
Speaking to IANS here today on the sidelines of the launch of the Chennai Super Kings logo, the 47-year-old Chandrasekar said his stint as the national selector has prepared him for the new assignment.
“Yes, it is a new responsibility, but something I am not unused to since I was the national selector not long ago. Of course, it would be a huge task, considering that we have to select 16 players from the pool that would be auctioned in Mumbai Feb 20,” he said.
Chandrasekar opined that the absence of an iconic player in the Chennai squad would be a plus at the auctioning as the Chennai Super Kings will have the entire $5 million salary budget to play with.
“We do not have an icon player and in a way, that will help us. Super Kings will have the entire $5 million at its disposal as we will save on the salary that an icon player would have commanded,” he said.
An icon would be paid 15 percent more than the player with the highest salary or bid price.
“That alone will take a sizeable chunk out of the $5 million budget. In that respect, Chennai Super Kings is better placed than say Mumbai, who have Sachin Tendulkar, or Bangalore (Rahul Dravid) or Kolkata (Sourav Ganguly),” Chandrasekar said.
He said he was keen on having a balanced side that would perform. “But we will know for sure only after the auctioning is complete. I do have a fair idea of the kind of team I would like to have, but let us see what happens on Feb 20,” he said.