Santner happy to play alongside Dhoni in IPL

Bengaluru February 20: New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner said he was excited at the opportunity to play alongside MS Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL season.

"I'm happy I'll be bowling to MS Dhoni in the nets rather than in a match like I have been," said Santner, who was bought by CSK for Rs 50 lakh in the IPL auction last month.

The Kiwi is happy that he will be teaming up with experienced players like Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja among others in Chennai.

IPL SCHEDULE

"I'm definitely looking forward to joining the culture at CSK, talking to and playing alongside experienced players such as skipper Dhoni, (Suresh) Raina and (Ravindra) Jadeja in a great team environment," Santner said.

"I'm very excited to be a part of this year's IPL and looking forward to joining the Chennai family. The IPL is probably the biggest T20 competition in the world, so I am excited to showcase my skills on the big stage and ultimately help CSK win games and ideally the championship," he said.

Santner was highly impressive when New Zealand toured India last year with his guile and control. The Hamilton-born spinner climbed to the top of the T20 International bowling rankings for the first time in January this year and also unveiled his version of the carrom ball, dubbed the 'claw,' a delivery that he flicks out of his fingers.

"I've been lucky enough to play in India in all three formats and have had some reasonable success along the way against some of the best players going around, so I'm looking to draw on some of that experience in the upcoming IPL," he said.

Santner said he also enjoyed bowled in India.

"I enjoy bowling in India because the conditions can benefit spinners on some slower wickets and playing in front of packed stadiums, full of fans is also something you don't get back home," he said.