Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan has shared details about the team’s strategy for the upcoming IPL 2025 Mega Auction, which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. CSK decided to keep players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, and MS Dhoni ahead of the auction, leaving them with just one Right to Match (RTM) card. It is likely that they will use this card to keep either Devon Conway or Rachin Ravindra.
With big names like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant entering this year’s auction, Kasi admitted that CSK may struggle to compete with other teams in signing these top Indian players.
“We had discussions with Ruturaj, the captain, MS (Dhoni), and coach Stephen Fleming before deciding on the retentions. We were clear that the players who helped the team grow and stabilise in recent years were crucial for our future,” Kasi said during a chat with former CSK player Ambati Rayudu on Provoke TV.
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“It was easy to decide on the retentions—Gaikwad, Jaddu, MS, Shivam Dube, and Matheesha Pathirana. But we knew that by keeping these players, we would have a smaller budget for the auction. We realised that we might not be able to compete with other teams when it comes to signing the top Indian players. We’ll still try, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get them,” he added.
The deadline for IPL franchises to submit their retained players was October 31. Each team could keep up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players. Punjab Kings (PBKS) has the biggest budget, with Rs 110.5 crore, as they only retained two uncapped players. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) follow, with Rs 83 crore and Rs 69 crore, respectively. Gujarat Titans also have Rs 69 crore available and could be a contender for signing Pant.
