Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings have assembled a stellar squad for IPL 2025. The Chennai-based franchise retained five players, namely MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana and Shivam Dube ahead of the mega auction, and at the two-day auction, CSK signed 20 players.
All of the places available in the CSK squad have been filled up. It looks a great lineup on paper, with the likes of Vijay Shankar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Sam Curran coming back to their home. Here’s a look at the predicted playing XI of CSK after the mega auction.
Openers – Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) and Devon Conway
The elite opening duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway should reunite at the top of the order for the Chennai Super Kings this season. CSK had already retained Ruturaj, while they splurged INR 6.25 crore to sign Conway at the mega auction. Both batters played a huge role in CSK’s IPL 2023 triumph.
Middle Order – Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni (wk)
The middle-order should feature New Zealand’s rising star Rachin Ravindra at the number three position. CSK should also give chances to Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda to revive their IPL careers. Both players have struggled to make an impact in recent times.
The finishing department of the batting lineup should be the same for CSK this season. Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni were retained for a reason, and they should continue in their roles.
Bowlers – Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana (Impact Player)
CSK spent big to bring Ravichandran Ashwin back home for the IPL 2025 season. It should not be a surprise if Ashwin makes an instant impact in the yellow jersey this season. Noor Ahmad has moved from Gujarat Titans to CSK, and he should enjoy his time at Chepauk.
The two main fast bowlers of CSK will be Khaleel Ahmed and Matheesha Pathirana. When playing outside Chennai, CSK can think of using Nathan Ellis instead of Noor Ahmad or Sam Curran instead of Rachin Ravindra to have an extra pace option.
