Chennai Super Kings became four-time IPL winners in 2021. They defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 final to capture their fourth championship. However, the MS Dhoni-led outfit could not retain all of their star players from the 2021 season due to the mega auction rules. Prior to the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, CSK announced Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali as their four retained players.
CSK will now head to the IPL 2022 Mega Auction with the aim of forming another champion squad. Gujarat Lions replaced CSK and RR during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. They performed really well and topped the points table in 2016. Chennai could possibly target the following five ex-GL players at the mega auction in 2022.
1. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina captained the Gujarat Lions during their brief stay in the IPL. Raina returned to CSK after Gujarat left the tournament but the experienced star has been released ahead of IPL 2022 Auction. Chennai are likely to re-sign Raina at the mega auction.
2. Dwayne Bravo
Another Gujarat Lions star who joined Chennai after IPL 2017 is all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. The all-rounder was part of CSK’s winning team in 2021 and could return to the Chennai-based franchise at the mega auction.
3. Ishan Kishan
Young wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan has been an explosive batter in the IPL. He was brilliant for the Mumbai Indians, but the Mumbai-based franchise released him. Kishan started his journey with Gujarat Lions and could now join Ravindra Jadeja in the CSK squad.
4. Jason Roy
Chennai Super Kings have retained their IPL 2021 Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the mega auction. If the Super Kings are unable to sign Faf du Plessis at the mega auction, they could go for former Gujarat Lions opener Jason Roy who is a white-ball specialist.
5. Andrew Tye
Former IPL Purple Cap winner Andrew Tye could perform well in the conditions at the MA Chidamabaram Stadium. Tye was in the IPL 2018 Mega Auction, and Chennai tried hard to sign him. They even bid INR 7 crore for him, but Punjab Kings outbid them. Not many fans would know that Tye has been a part of the Chennai squad before and could return to the team at the mega auction.
