New DelhiWhen the tables of franchises were set in Jeddah for the mega auction of IPL 2025, there was hustle and bustle everywhere. Some franchises entered the auction with new attitude and cleverness and some with tension to improve the team. Many team owners came to the auction field to bid even with a lot of money in their purse. There was a table which looked very calm and in its old style. The old captain of the team was once again seen making his impact from behind the curtain.
Sitting in a corner, the core group of Chennai Super Kings was seen sitting as calm as ever and in their familiar yellow jersey. It seemed as if every member associated with this franchise knew which players they had to go after or in other words, how to reunite their old teammates with the team. However, Chennai did not bet on any big player in the auction. Applied but as usual did not leave out the useful players.
Chennai and Coach Fleming’s New Zealand love
Last year, Chennai included two New Zealand players in the team and both of them performed well in that season but both of them were released by the franchise. These players are Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. Both are left-handed batsmen and like to bat in the top three. When Chennai released both the players, it seemed that their journey with the team was over. Kiwi batsman Rachin Ravindra has been included in the team again by Chennai. Chennai bought Ravindra for Rs 4 crore using RTM card. His base price was Rs 1.50 crore. Last season, Rachin Ravindra scored 222 runs in 10 matches while playing for Chennai. Devon Conway was bought by Chennai for Rs 6.25 crore. His base price was Rs 2 crore. In the 2023 season, Conway, playing for Chennai, scored 672 runs in 16 matches.
Ashwin returns home, bets on Khalil
R Ashwin, who entered the Chennai team as Dhoni’s trump card in the 2009 IPL, is returning home after years. Ashwin, who has become the star spinner of the Indian team, has been bought by Chennai for Rs 9.75 crore. His base price was Rs 2 crore. In the 2024 IPL season, Ravichandran Ashwin took 9 wickets in 15 matches while playing for Rajasthan. Ashwin has been a part of Chennai Super Kings before also. He played for CSK from 2009 to 2015. Chennai spent Rs 4.80 crore on left arm fast bowler Khalil Ahmed, who took 17 wickets in 14 matches for Delhi last year.
Chennai’s retained players
CSK had retained its captain Rituraj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja for the year 2025. The salary of these two players is Rs 18-18 crore. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was retained as an uncapped player for Rs 4 crore. Shivam Dubey and Mathisha Pathirana were also retained for Rs 12 crores. It is clear that Chennai will continue on its old path and the same faces will be seen with the team who are standing with Chennai wholeheartedly.
Tags: Chennai super kings, Devon Conway, IPL, IPL Auction, Ms Dhoni, R ashwin, Rachin Ravindra
FIRST PUBLISHED : November 24, 2024, 8:29 pm IST