The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the three franchises that finished the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction with 25 players. These picks ranged from Rs 30 lakh to 10 crore. But it’s not the price that makes them worthy or adds value to their overall squad but rather how they fit in the line-up. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, spinners will come into the mix a lot more. Similarly, you might not need all the batters to go all-out but a couple of them to also stay in and guide CSK to an average total when need be.
CSK auction picks
Devon Conway ✈️(Rs 6.25 crore), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 3.40 crore), Rachin Ravindra ✈️(Rs 4 crore), Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 9.75 crore), Khaleel Ahmed (Rs 4.80 crore), Noor Ahmad ✈️(Rs 10 crore), Vijay Shankar (Rs 1.20 crore), Sam Curran ✈️(Rs 2.40 crore), Shaik Rasheed (Rs 30 lakh), Anshul Kamboj (Rs 3.40 crore), Mukesh Choudhary (Rs 30 lakh), Deepak Hooda (Rs 1.70 crore), Gurjapneet Singh (Rs 2.20 crore), Nathan Ellis ✈️(Rs 2 crore), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 30 lakh), Ramakrishna Ghosh (Rs 30 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (Rs 30 lakh), Vansh Bedi (Rs 55 lakh), Andre Siddharth (Rs 30 lakh), Jamie Overton ✈️(Rs 1.5 crore)
CSK retained players list
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 18 crore), Shivam Dube (Rs 12 crore), Matheesha Pathirana ✈️(Rs 13 crore), MS Dhoni (Rs 4 crore)
CSK’s strongest playing XI
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)
- Rachin Ravindra ✈️
- Rahul Tripathi
- Vijay Shankar
- Shivam Dube
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Sam Curran ✈️
- MS Dhoni (wk)
- Matheesha Pathirana ✈️
- Anshul Kamboj
- Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player: Noor Ahmad ✈️
Hits at IPL 2025 auction
CSK managed to get class top-order batters like Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, and Rachin Ravindra for just Rs 13.65 crore combined. This makes their top 3/4 one of, if not the best in the IPL. They also did exceptionally well when it came to assembling a great pack of pacers. They got Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Sam Curran, Gurjapneet Singh, and Nathan Ellis. This covers all three phases, granted they perform at their expected level.
Misses at IPL 2025 auction
While the top three look solid, the middle and lower middle-order doesn’t inspire confidence. Shivam Dube has been great, but just him with either Vijay Shankar or Vansh Bedi isn’t a bankable option. Then they became all-rounders. You can’t really expect MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, and Sam Curran to win your games when chasing. The reason why their middle-order is weak is because they went all out for Ravichandran Ashwin and Noor Ahmed.
They combined paid Rs 19.75 crore for the off and left-arm wrist spinners, which forced them out to winning bids for good middle-order batters. Also, one can’t be sure how good Ashwin can be at 38. Will he be a permanent 4-over spinner, or will they have to fall upon Rachin, Dube, or Shankar for some overs? Off late, even Jadeja doesn’t always bowl his quota. They might be able to cover for it at home, but away this bowling line-up won’t inspire confidence.
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