CHENNAI: When Chennai Super Kings picked Moeen Ali from the IPL auctions for Rs 7 crore, he was hardly a regular for England in T20 cricket. And even if he played, it was more as a batsman.
The huge price tag didn’t bring much change in Moeen’s fortunes as he didn’t get to play a single T20 game in the five-match T20 series against India in March that followed the auctions.
But CSK believed in Moeen’s abilities. Captain MS Dhoni used him as a frontline spinner during the Powerplay overs and gave him the freedom to express himself with the bat at the top-order.
With CSK transforming Moeen into a match-winning allrounder, England captain Morgan was quick to copy the Dhoni template in the ongoing T20 World Cup. In England’s two wins so far, Moeen has played a significant role by picking up four wickets inside the Powerplay overs.

Moeen said that playing for CSK gave him the confidence to perform well in the World Cup. “Playing for CSK gave me a lot of confidence. They showed a lot of faith in me right from the time when I was bought at the auctions. As a player you want that sometimes… It felt like I was a very important part of the squad. And I was happy to repay their faith. With England, I was not bowling as much as I would have liked to and was batting lower down the order. But the confidence which I have now from playing games for CSK, I hope I can contribute more for this England side. I hope I will be used a lot more than what I have been doing,” Moeen told the official broadcasters on Wednesday as England marched to an easy win against Bangladesh.
Moeen has dominated the Powerplay overs in England’s two matches against West Indies and Bangladesh by bowling the right length and adjusting well to the conditions. On the low and sluggish UAE wickets, Moeen’s deliveries have gripped and turned the right amount to trouble the batsman as he also emerged the Player of the Match against the West Indies.
Moeen went to bat at No. 4 against the Windies ahead of captain Morgan and Liam Livingstone. It means England are looking at the allrounder as a crucial cog in their wheel. And Moeen isn’t complaining. “That role in the CSK team was really good for me. MS (Dhoni) backed me to bat up the order and it was nice to get that confidence from the captain. I felt like I’m really involved with the bat and ball and in the field. It’s a role which I am asked to reprise for England also. But we (England) have got so many world-class players it’s difficult to get up the order. I’m just trying to enjoy my cricket,” he said.