Shivam Dube or Rachin Ravindra—Who should be CSK's Rs 11 crore retention pick?

Retentions for the IPL 2025 mega auction are going to cause a big headache. Especially for franchises like the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Despite not reaching the playoffs last year, it’s safe to say Ruturaj Gaikwad and co. had pretty much all of their bases covered. But that isn’t the case now. They’ll have to start fresh. CSK, like other franchises, can retain a maximum of six players, but doing so would take away more than half of your auction purse. That’s why they’ll have to make the tough choices.

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It’s safe to assume that MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, and Gaikwad aren’t going anywhere. Due to the uncapped player rule being reintroduced, CSK can retain Dhoni at just Rs 4 crore, but they’ll have to shell out Rs 18 crore each for Gaikwad and Jadeja (first and fourth picks). Of three remaining spots, Chennai are expected to fill just two and would likely use the Right to Match (RTM) card for the other.

Although just 21, Matheesha Pathirana definitely deserves to be retained. He was the second fast bowler after Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2024 when available. He featured in just 6 matches and picked up 13 wickets at 13. A sure-shot wicket-taker in the middle and death overs who went for under 8 per over last out. He’ll be retained, and the sum would likely be Rs 14 crore, because what he doesn’t isn’t replicable, and at the auction, he could very well fetch the same amount.

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Rachin Ravindra or Shivam Dube

Rachin Ravindra has shown what he’s capable of while opening the batting. His batting against spin is as good as his pace-hitting ability, which bodes well at spin-friendly Chepauk Stadium. The sample size isn’t large, as he’s played just one season, but given his age (24) and the fact that he hasn’t yet reached his peak, Rachin’s worth investing in. One can’t forget he bowls some handy left-arm spin, and although Rachin isn’t a main bowler, his bowling can be useless towards the end of the season when the Cheapauk pitch starts to turn more.

Shivam Dube has been a revelation for CSK. He became the best version of himself at Chennai. A tall southpaw who terrorises spinners. Since he joined the franchise in 2022, he’s been great, and as far as stats go, Dube is way ahead of Rachin. However, he’s also 7 years older, and you might question whether this three-year period was his peak, and now it’ll start to go downhill. At the back end of the IPL 2024 season, he also lost form, and that didn’t return throughout the T20 World Cup 2024.

It’s also fascinating that Dube started tearing it apart at 28-29, the age often considered to be prime for batters. The time when a batter is aware of his strengths and weaknesses is mature enough to handle pressure and has gained ample experience. The question is, does CSK want to invest in Dube, who still might give them a good season or two? Or are they willing to bet on Rachin, who can potentially don the yellow jersey for the next decade?