Surat, March 20 (Agency) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said that despite losing few main players, the auction went according to plan as the team gained some real talent. CSK bought 21 players after spending Rs 45.05 crores at the two-day mega auction held in February. “We are really happy it went to plan. We lost a couple of players but we’ve gained some real talent as well. This year, we’ve got a good blend of youth and experience. So, it’s with a view to another three to four year cycle. We are really excited about the way auction went down, said head coach in a video posted on CSK Youtube channel on Saturday. Speaking about a trio of New Zealand players — Devon Conway, Mitchell Santer and Adam Milne — in the squad, Fleming said: “Well, they came cheap.
They are all very skillful players. Devon Conway has had a great couple of years Internationally. Mitch (Santner) has been a stalwart for us and in Milne, we’ve got a little bit of pace. So, all three of them have great credentials and a good skill set for us.” CSK bought Conway for Rs 1 crore, Santner Rs 1.9 crore, and Milne Rs 1.9 crore at a mega auction. Fleming, who has joined the team’s training camp a week before the start of 15th edition of Indian Premier League revealed a reason why CSK is training in Surat. “They have been training well for the last week, happy to join them finally. The challenge in Mumbai is that all the teams are training there. So we felt coming to Surat and having similar conditions in terms of red soil and climate. Similar to what will be in Mumbai. But to have this ground to ourselves and be able to have open wickets and long net sessions has been very valuable,” he said. CSK will kick off their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.