IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Top 3 CSK Player Retentions Ahead Of IPL Auction 2025

Chennai Super Kings wrapped up their 2024 IPL season in the group stage. In recent years, CSK has undergone several significant transitions. The transformation began in the 2022 season when MS Dhoni, Chennai’s beloved Thala, gave up his captaincy. The 4-time IPL winner chose Ravindra Jadeja to step in as the next leader of the team. However, the transition did not fare smoothly for the team. Jadeja struggled to lead the team effectively, and his all-around individual performance also suffered. Consequently, Dhoni had to return as captain mid-season to bring the team back on track. In the following season, Dhoni continued as captain, leading Chennai to equal MI’s trophy tally by winning their 5th IPL title.

For the last IPL season, Ruturaj Gaikwad was announced as the team captain just before the start. Gaikwad shone in his new role under Dhoni's watchful eye. While CSK put on an impressive performance, winning 7 out of 14 matches, RCB eventually knocked them out of the playoffs race. Now, all the teams are looking forward to the mega-auction ahead of IPL 2025. The mega-auction brings significant transformations in team setups, and all teams will look to retain their core strength before the auctions. For CSK, let’s look at the favorites to earn the retention cards.

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad is an obvious retention pick for CSK, being the current team captain. Gaikwad has been in the CSK setup since 2019 and started featuring in the Playing XI in 2020. To date, the opener has scored 2380 runs across 66 matches at an average of 41.75 for CSK. In 2021, Ruturaj Gaikwad won the Emerging Player Award and the Orange Cap simultaneously, becoming the first-ever player in IPL history to attain this feat.

The opener scored 635 runs in 16 matches in the season that saw Chennai clinch its 4th IPL trophy. Consequently, the team retained Gaikwad ahead of the 2022 mega-auction for 6 crores. It has been a steady rise for Gaikwad in Chennai since then. Within a few seasons, Gaikwad has grown from being a rookie to the captain who succeeded Chennai’s undisputed Thala. Gaikwad has also won the fans' hearts as Dhoni's successor. Moving forward, Gaikwad is likely to be Chennai’s first retention pick ahead of the 2025 mega-auctions.

2. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been a key element of the Chennai setup for quite a long time now. Though the all-rounder hasn’t been in top form lately, his importance to the squad is well-known. The 2023 IPL win is credited mostly to Jadeja, as he hit the winning four against the defending champions, Gujarat Titans. The all-rounder was CSK’s first-choice retention for IPL 2022, retained for 16 crores ahead of the 2022 mega-auction. Before that, CSK retained Jadeja as the third retention in the IPL 2018 season. Ever since joining the team, Jadeja has been Dhoni’s right-hand man. With uncertainty over Dhoni’s continuity in the tournament, Jadeja is the most experienced player in CSK. Although Gaikwad has taken the lead, CSK will surely need Jadeja's experience.

3. Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube refined his game significantly after joining CSK. Previously, the all-rounder played for franchises like Rajasthan and Bangalore but failed to leave a mark. He entered CSK through the IPL 2022 mega-auction and has since displayed his explosive batting skills. A menace against spin, Dube has emerged as a solid middle-order pick for Chennai. With Suresh Raina out of the picture and Moeen Ali in his concluding phase, Dube has become one of the most important players for the 5-time champions. CSK tapped into Dube's potential, which wasn’t apparent in earlier seasons. Now a part of the Indian Cricket team, Dube is likely to return to Chennai and be safely tucked into the retention list.

Apart from the obvious picks, CSK will look to retain overseas player Matheesa Pathirana. In a dwindling bowling lineup, Pathirana has emerged as a reliable pace option for the team, likely earning one of the four retention places. Others in the running include Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar. However, the most interesting aspect will be how Chennai manages to retain MS Dhoni if he decides to continue his time in the tournament.