With the mega auction for IPL almost knocking on the door, Chennai Super Kings has critical decisions to make regarding player retention. With so much success attached to their name, they need to maintain core strength and at the same time plan for the future.

Here are the five most probable players who could find a spot in the auction list by CSK:

MS Dhoni

The legendary MS Dhoni is synonymous with CSK. As captain and player, his leadership has brought the team so many titles. Though he might be nearing the end of his playing days, retaining him as a mentor and player would give the rest of the team so much experience and guidance.

Dhoni’s Stats In IPL

Dhoni scored 5243 runs in 264 matches which includes 24 half-centuries with the highest score of 84*.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a shining performer in CSK’s player list as this lad emerged to become one of the best opener batsmen. His performance in terms of scoring lots of runs on the field constantly is badly needed for a batting department in the squad. In doing so, retaining Gaikwad meant CSK was looking at a solid opener from him while securing the actual future of the team’s entire batting division.

Gaikwad’s IPL Stats

Gaikwad scored 2380 runs in 66 matches which includes 18 half-centuries and a couple of hundreds with the highest score of 108*.

Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja is one of the most valuable players in T20 cricket due to his exceptional all-round skills. His explosive batting, accurate bowling, and brilliant fielding enhance CSK’s overall performance. A proven match-winner, Jadeja is a must-retain for CSK balance and depth.

Jadeja’s IPL Stats

Jadeja amassed 2959 runs in 240 matches with 3 half-centuries and also scalped 160 wickets.

Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra has been quite promising in the last two seasons and has also proved himself both with the bat and ball. Being a young player with different dimensions to the team is attractive enough for retention purposes. Retaining Ravindra would be a huge advantage for CSK as he can build a robust future base.

Rachin’s IPL Stats

Rachin scored 222 runs in 10 matches with a half-century to his name.

Sameer Rizvi

Sameer Rizvi comes out as a promising talent and has shown promise as a middle-order buster. Acceleration of the scoring rate in the middle is always useful. This will ensure CSK gets depth in the batting line-up also and offers them an exciting prospect for years to come.

Rizvi’s IPL Stats

In 8 matches, Rizvi scored 51 runs with a strike rate of 118.60.