CSK’s five-man IPL 2025 retention shortlist gets finalized, Dhoni set to get retained: After helping the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lift their fifth trophy in IPL 2023, many thought that MS Dhoni would call time on his IPL Career. However, the 43-year-old has done the unthinkable yet again and he will be once again seen watching the Yellow Jersey of CSK in IPL 2025.
While he handed over the captaincy reins of the Yellow Army to Ruturaj Gaikwad just before the beginning of IPL 2024, MSD continued to make the fans cheer in his typical fashion with his fascinating batting-cameos and his perfect wicket-keeping.
As the Mega-Auction of the next season of the Indian Premier League gets closer and closer, questions about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s future as a Cricketer started to get raised.
According to a news report of RevSportz, the Chennai-based team are set to retain their former skipper MS Dhoni, but, the 43-year-old will not be their first retention pick. He will get retained at a lower price.
A group of core-players, which consists of the likes of Matheesha Pathirana and pace-bowling all-rounder Shivam Dube as well as CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and experienced spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, will be retained at a higher price than MSD.
With the Board of Control for Cricket in India yet to finalise the confirmed retention-policy for the Mega-Auction of IPL 2025, Chennai are waiting patiently to see how many players can get retained by each franchise.
While MSD is reportedly a crucial part of the franchise’s plans for the next edition of the cash-rich tournament, it remains to be seen what kind of a role the veteran will play for them.
The RevSportz news report suggests that by retaining Dhoni at a lower retention-price, the 43-year-old will not take-up a massive portion of Chennai’s auction-purse.
If the BCCI lets the old-retention rule of letting players that have retired from International-Cricket for more than five-years be retained as Uncapped-players make a comeback, then Chennai and MSD will end up benefiting from that rule.
The former CSK captain has been batting in the lower-order of the batting lineup, mainly at number seven and number eight, but he has delivered some really impactful knocks with the bat. However, his ability of running between-the-wickets has decreased a lot in the last few years.
CSK’s five-man retention shortlist:
Ravindra Jadeja, despite being 36-years-old, remains an important player for the Chennai-based team, having previously led the team in 2022.
Shivam Dube has flourished in the Yellow Army’s middle-order, scoring runs on a consistent basis in the last two-editions of the competition.
Sri Lanka’s young fast bowling sensation Matheesha Pathirana, often referred as the next Lasith Malinga due to the similarities both of them share with their bowling-action, has emerged as a yorker and death-over specialist for the franchise, picking up wickets at crucial junctures and has consistently maintained a fascinating economy-rate at the same time.
Also Read: Why MS Dhoni will be unable to participate in Legends League Cricket (Explained)
For more information, visit the official website of RevSportz