Chennai Super Kings retain key players ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction / © MensXP
With these five players, CSK has allocated 65 crore of their budget and will head into the auction with a 55 crore purse and an option to use a Right to Match (RTM) card. This raised a big question about their intentions with one notable pacer Deepak Chahar, a mainstay for CSK since 2018. Chahar’s release surprised fans, but the 32-year-old expressed hope that CSK would re-bid for him, wishing to don the yellow jersey once more. Expressing his faith upon the franchise, he remarked:
I was not retained by them in the last mega auction as well. But they went all out for me and bought me back. I don’t know what will happen this year, but I know my skill will be valued more now given the fact that around 90-100 runs are being scored in the Powerplay and that’s why the teams are scoring more than 200 more frequently. I have proved how valuable I can be in limiting runs in that phase of the game. I think they will bid for me again. I would like to don the yellow jersey again and if not that, then I would want Rajasthan Royals to bid for me.
Previously, CSK had released Chahar before the 2022 auction, ultimately bringing him back for 14 crore. This death-over expert witnessed three title winnings in 2018, 2021 and 2023. Although he is a tough contender to have the RTM in his favor, the ultimate drama will remain undisclosed until the mega-auction, starting from November 24 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.