Defending Chennai Super Kings will look to go all guns blazing when the think tank assembles in Dubai for the players’ mini-auction on December 19. With almost all bases covered, the management will look to fine-tune the squad to take another shot at the title which will be an IPL record.
As per several media reports, the defending champions are looking to enter the auctions with a purse of INR 30 crore. It has been learned that the franchise has decided to release Ben Stokes (Rs 16.25) who made himself unavailable to manage the workload. The absence of Ambati Rayudu, who retired from the IPL last year, gives a surplus of Rs 16.25 crore.
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As far as CSK’s retention list is concerned, the team is expected to let go of the likes of South Africa’s Dwaine Pretorius and Sisanda Magala (Rs 1 Cr), and Kyle Jamieson of New Zealand (Rs 1 Cr).
CSK had an impeccable season in 2023, bouncing back from the 2022 debacle. They added the 5th trophy to their cupboard and equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for most IPL title wins.
After Faf du Plessis’ departure, the duo of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad became the new opening pair for CSK. Ravindra Jadeja played a pivotal role in making CSK champions for the fifth time after which skipper MS Dhoni’s gesture were enough to clarify their bonding.
The focus will be on the uncapped players like Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal and Bhagath Varma who were part of the squad but couldn’t get a game.
Speaking of Dhoni’s future with CSK, the legendary wicketkeeper-batter availability largely depends upon the condition of his knee. After struggling throughout the 2023 season, he went under the knife. He was recently seen limping a little while getting down from stairs during his visit to his ancestral village in Uttarakhand. The video did raise concerns among the fans but the IPL is still several months away and Dhoni has all the time to recover and get back on the field for the Chennai fans.
Players CSK Likely to Release:
Ben Stokes, Sisanda Magala, Dwaine Pretorius, Kyle Jamieson
Players CSK Likely to Retain:
MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.
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