IPL 2022: How did Michael Hussey realise that Moeen Ali was a great player?

Moeen Ali has been phenomenal ever since joining Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. Meanwhile, here's how Michael Hussey realised that Moeen was a great player.

Image credit: BCCI

English all-rounder Moeen Ali was not so famous in Twenty20 (T20) cricket. However, he was roped in by the reigning four-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the IPL 2021 Auction for ₹2 crore. Although it seemed a gamble, it did pay off, as he has been sensational since then.

In IPL 2021, Moeen was the third-highest run-scorer for CSK, amassing 357 runs in 15 innings at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 137.30, including a half-century, while his top score happened to be 58. Besides, he also claimed six wickets in ten innings at an economy of 6.35, while he has the best figure of 3/7. CSK happens to be his second IPL team, having played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before between 2018-20.

In IPL 2022, Moeen is off to a great start, while CSK batting coach Michael Hussey has revealed that he only realised the former's impact after the Englishman joined CSK. "Moeen Ali, honestly, is an unbelievable player. I only watched him closely for the first time when he joined the CSK squad in the last season. So, I didn't realise how good a player he is. He's a beautiful batsman, a graceful player. Just the way he times the cricket ball is fantastic," he said.

"It's been one of the traits of CSK over the years. MS Dhoni, who's captained the team for a long time and Stephen Fleming, the coach, are very calm and collected characters. The first couple of games didn't go as per the plans, but we are certainly not panicking as these are early stages," concluded Hussey.