Six Players Chennai Super Kings Should Retain: Under the new rules of retention for all IPL teams ahead of the mega-auction for the 2025 season, each team can retain up to six players from their existing squads. Five of these players can be capped, and a maximum of two of these can be uncapped. There is no limit on overseas players
Today, we will look at which players the Chennai Super Kings should retain. The five-time champions nearly missed out on a playoff birth last season, finishing fourth. But can the most successful franchise in league history rebuild another championship-winning team?
Here are six players that Chennai Super Kings should retain for IPL 2025.
Six Players Chennai Super Kings Should Retain
1) Ruturaj Gaikwad – 18 Crore
An IPL team hitching their hopes for the future on a young Indian batter is not a new phenomenon. This year, several teams will see such a player not only be retained by multiple teams but also be named captain. Ruturaj Gaikwad is that player for the Chennai Super Kings.
Gaikwad has been the team’s most consistent player for years. Having played for the franchise for five seasons, the Maharashtra-based batter has consistently been their highest run scorer, even winning the Orange Cap in 2021 on the team’s way to the title. As a result, Ruturaj has been named the future captain of the CSK and a successor of the legend himself, MS Dhoni.
For the first time ahead of a mega-auction, the Super Kings will go into the proceedings with a new captain. While Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the team’s top Indian batter for years to come, will he be as successful a captain than the former World Cup winner Dhoni?
2) Shivam Dube – 14 Crore
Shivam Dube has been CSK’s most successful finds over the past couple of years. The all-rounder saw his career going down a path of mediocrity before the 2022 season. But once he was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in the 2022 mega-auction, it seemed that his fortunes changed.
Dube has been the team’s best-attacking batsman for the past three seasons, with a strike rate of over 158 and an average of around 35. The 31-year-old even became a consistent T20I player for India after his performances for the Super Kings, even playing a fine role in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup that India won.
Shivam Dube will be the franchise’s new torchbearer in these new times where 200+ scores are scored with regularity. He is a player any franchise would pine for but only one can retain.
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3) Devon Conway – 11 Crore
Devon Conway is the first overseas player on this list and the most disputed player on this list. That is because while he makes this list as someone who can score massive runs at the top of the order, there is another New Zealand star in the squad who can fill the role, Rachin Ravindra. And while Conway is a backup wicketkeeper, Ravindra can give you a few good overs of spin.
Devon Conway gets the nod here because of how consistently good he has been for CSK over the past few years. In the title-winning 2023 season, the Kiwi was Super Kings’ highest run scorer, even above Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Although he missed the 2024 season due to injury, it would be a little foolish for CSK to let go of a consistent run machine. However, Rachin Ravindra can be picked in this spot as well because of how incredibly young he is.
4) Ravindra Jadeja – 18 Crore
The second 18 Crore retention spot will most likely go to Ravindra Jadeja. Does he demand all this money because of his recent T20I performances? No! But is Jadeja an incredible all-rounder who will be a part of the team’s leadership core for the next cycle ahead of the next mega-auction? Yes!.
In some regards, Ravindra Jadeja plays a role similar to MS Dhoni in CSK, a veteran of the franchise who maintains the identity of the team as well as is a performer on the pitch. The difference between the two is that ‘Jaddu’ can give the team four good overs of bowling, is a decent batter in the lower-middle order, and is one of the best fielders in world cricket.
5) Matheesha Pathirana – 14 Crore
CSK seems to be going all in for Matheesha Pathirana. They see the 22-year-old as the next Lasith Malinga. The Sri Lankan pacer has been incredible for the Super Kings, taking 24 wickets in 20 games across all seasons. If entered into the auction, Pathirana will be the most sought-after player in the auction.
A perfect T20 bowler who is quick, can vary pace, and bowls accurate yorkers, retaining Matheesha Pathirana is a must, as he will be the spearhead of the franchise’s bowling department for years to come.
6) MS Dhoni (Uncapped) – 4 Crore
It is quite bizarre to mention MS Dhoni, the most successful Indian and IPL captain ever, as an uncapped player. But the new retention rules state that if a player has not been in the national squad and a part of their board’s central contract for five years, they can be considered an uncapped player. And Dhoni has not played a match for India since the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
At the age of 43, MS Dhoni is still a consistent wicketkeeper for CSK. However, he is starting to lose some of his trademark agility and speed behind the stumps. Despite that, having a mind like MS on the field is always a boon for a team. And his ability to slog in the final few overs of a Chennai Super Kings’ innings is a bonus as well.
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