Ravichandran Ashwin put up a debate on the Chennai Super Kings’ player retention strategies ahead of the 2025 IPL mega auction. Speaking on his YouTube channel recently, Ashwin said CSK should retain its iconic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a capped player and not take the cheaper option by retaining him as an uncapped. He thinks this will keep Dhoni on CSK’s list of core capped players, with big names including some of its top talent like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, and Shivam Dube.

Why Can’t CSK?….R Ashwin’s Strong Opinion

“If you say Mumbai Indians can retain six players, why can’t CSK? We have Ruturaj (Gaikwad), Jadeja (Ravindra Jadeja), (Matheesha) Pathirana, (Shivam) Dube, MS Dhoni and Sameer Rizvi,” Ashwin said

This actually sparked conversations, especially since the IPL rules state that cricketers who had not played international cricket five years or more ago could be declared uncapped, freeing up a more substantial part of the wallet to more players.

Ashwin Backs Sameer Rizvi

Ashwin was slammed by former South Africa performance analyst Prasanna Raman for carrying forward Sameer Rizvi for Rs 4 crore. Rizvi had a dismal run last season, scoring just 51 runs off eight matches at an average strike rate of 118. However, ahead of the IPL 2024, he was sold for Rs 8.4 crore.

“I don’t even know whether he would agree to play for Rs 4 crore.”

Ashwin defended Rizvi stating his form in the UP T20 League and equating him with emerging talents like Shahrukh Khan, Abhinav Manohar and Dhruv Jurel, highlighting the potential of the former.

“He has been putting on a show every day. There’s a huge upside with him. He will fall into the same bracket as other upcoming stars,” Ashwin said confidently.

As CSK debates retention, Ashwin’s take on not forgetting loyalty towards the icons and being on the other end to balance dynamics of auction raises more questions. IPL 2025 is looming in the horizon, and CSK is left with no other choice but to think of strategic moves for survival.