Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh believes five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will retain powerhouse MS Dhoni, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Rachin Ravindra and pacer Matheesha Pathirana ahead of the 2025 IPL mega auction. The veteran voiced his uncertainty about the future of Dhoni in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but stated that if available, he would be the Chennai-based franchise’s first choice. IPL franchises can retain a total of six players from their existing squad. This can be done either by holding or using the Right to Match (RTM) option.
The six holds/RTMs can have a maximum of five limited players (Indian and Foreign) and a maximum of 2 unlimited players.
He said: “I am not sure if Dhoni will play or not, but if he is available, he will certainly be the team’s first choice to keep, even if he is considered an uncapped player this season. After him, the next pick will be Ravindra Jadeja, then Rachin Ravindra. As for the captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, he will also be a definite hold,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.
CSK captain Gaikwad finished as the second highest run-scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season with 583 runs, including centuries and four fifties. On the other hand, Jadeja and Pathirana were among the wicket takers for the franchise.
“I believe these four players will be detained. Apart from them, we can also see Pathirana who is an excellent bowler retained in the lineup. And if an uncapped player is retained, there might be a surprise pick but CSK can only retain So I think the likely retentions are Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Pathirana,” he added.
The auction amount for the franchises is set at INR 120 crores for IPL 2025. The last date for the franchises to finalize their retention list is October 31.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published by a syndicated channel.)
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