MS Dhoni was not on board with CSK's mega auction calls? Raina opines after IPL 2025 ouster

As the campaign falls from one low to another for the five-time champions in the ongoing season, there are a string of issues to rue upon. With the latest defeat in the CSK vs SRH IPL 2025 match, Chennai Super Kings are all but out from the competition. IPL 2025 brought multiple disappointments for the team, each harder than the other. The first defeat at Chepauk in the season saw RCB beating CSK at their den for the first time in 17 years. DC completed the feat for the first time in 15 years as CSK kept losing their grip on the fortress.

CSK all but out from IPL after the defeat in CSK vs SRH match

The contest on Friday, meanwhile, witnessed Sunrisers Hyderabad winning their first-ever match against CSK at Chepauk in the history of IPL. Surely, the group would find it exceptionally hard to find any positives as they move on to fight in the five remaining league stage matches. In 9 matches, Chennai Super Kings have managed to win just two, one at Ekana in the LSG vs CSK match and the other, the CSK vs MI campaign opener. The rematch of the "El Clasico," this time at Wankhede, witnessed Mumbai Indians picking their first win over the arch-rivals since 2022. Moreover, IPL 2025 marked the first season for CSK to drop to the bottom of the points table.

Additionally, the ongoing IPL edition emerged as the first one for the five-time champions to endure five consecutive defeats. Another fact that presented this year's group as a shadow of the team with five titles was the constant choppings in the Playing XI. CSK is known to back the same team throughout the tournament. However, the story was extremely different with the team trying different prospects at a position while the batting order failed to deliver any match-winning performance. In a squad of 27 members, CSK has already used 20 options across the 9 matches.

Suresh Raina rants against CSK's auction strategy as he reveals the role of MS Dhoni

Now, as CSK stands at the fringe of elimination, former Chennai star Suresh Raina has made a bold observation. A CSK loyal throughout his IPL career, Raina opined that MS Dhoni did not make any calls in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Following the victory in IPL 2023, Dhoni passed the captaincy baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, an unfortunate injury against Rajasthan Royals ruled the skipper out from IPL 2025 as the captaincy returned to Dhoni. The five-time winning captain, however, could not change the tide in Chennai's favor with a batting lineup that continued to misfire.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina, in his statement following the CSK vs SRH match, noted that unlike the popular perception that MS Dhoni makes all the final calls for the team, it's a different story. In the IPL 2025 mega auction, CSK brought back the Kiwi duo of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. Moreover, the squad added the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, and Vijay Shankar, who have not delivered any noteworthy performances in the season.

The CSK middle-order has been MIA throughout IPL 2025. Moreover, despite the mega auction, the side did not bother to find a fitting prospect to claim the wicket-keeping position when the time comes for MS Dhoni to exit the tournament. Following the auction, CSK brought the 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre as an injury replacement for Ruturaj Gaikwad. Moreover, Dewald Brevis joined the camp recently as an injury replacement for Gurjapneet Singh.

Ayush Mhatre has performed impressively as the opener in the two matches he has played so far. Moreover, Dewald Brevis went all in as the middle-order prospect with a 42 off 25 at his CSK debut against SRH. Given how the team now looks relied on the injury replacements to make the difference, CSK's auction strategy has landed in scrutiny.

A long-term associate with Chennai Super Kings, Suresh Raina explained CSK's auction execution and the role of Dhoni. The former batsman noted that despite the public perception, Dhoni is not that 'involved'. The core group handles the entire process while Dhoni pitches in with his suggestions about certain names.

“They always say MS Dhoni makes the final call. But to be very honest, I never attended any of the auctions. I was never a part of those discussions. I always talked about the players who were retained. MS might get a call about whether to go ahead with a player or not - but he's not that involved,” he said.

“The core group handles the auction - you can imagine, Dhoni can’t have this type of auction. He would maybe name four or five players he wants, and out of them, a few would be retained. Even if an uncapped player is working hard, look at MS Dhoni, being a 43-year-old captain, still giving everything," he added.

Following the explanation, Suresh Raina went on a rant against the performance of the group. Tagged 'Mr. IPL' for his onslaught in the T20 league, Raina questioned the lack of responsibility shown by other players. Shivam Dube, retained by CSK for 12 crores ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, the middle-order prospect has performed in patches. Moreover, Ravindra Jadeja, 9 matches into the campaign, is still finding his rhythm with the bat. Matheesa Pathirana, another retained pick, has not reaped the impact that the squad would have hoped for, with his wayward bowling hurting CSK even more in the season.

"At 43, he's doing wicketkeeping, captaining, carrying the entire team on his shoulders. But what are the other ten players doing? Those who are paid ₹18 crores, ₹17 crores, ₹12 crores - they're not responding to the captain. Especially when you've never lost to certain teams before - that needs to be rectified. You have to identify - is this player a match-winner? Can I trust this player in the next match? There are players who've been playing there for years - even the older ones. But what are the results? You're losing. The same mistakes are happening every time," Raina questioned.

“I think MS Dhoni will now sit down - he won't want anyone around him. He knows CSK didn't buy properly in auction. He wouldn't have allowed it. He must have made up his mind. "After the toss, when they lost, the way he walked - and both of them were standing there - it's clear there's going to be a meeting today,” he added.