Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Five times IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retained their core players and added few new ones to get a balanced team. For the upcoming IPL 2025 season, top players like MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and others will continue to push the team forward. The Stephen Fleming-coached team's biggest purchase at the mega auction was Afghanistan's left-arm spinner, Noor Ahmad, who was bought for INR 10 Crore. He will also be the first Afghan player to represent CSK in the IPL's history with the highest bid. R Ashwin's return for INR 9.75 Crore was another highlight of the auction, as he hopes to resume his partnership with Jadeja.
CSK would have been shocked by the modest price at which they were able to re-sign Devon Conway (INR 6.25 Crore) and Rachin Ravindra (INR 4 Crore), despite expecting a much greater value. The acquisition of left-arm bowler Khaleel Ahmed (INR 4.80 Crore), young bowling all-rounder Anshul Kamboj, and pacer Gurjapneet Singh from Tamil Nadu, is the best purchase giving opportunity to Indian fast bowling talent. The overall acquisition gives the best lineup for CSK's XI ahead of the IPL 2025.
CSK's strongest XI for IPL 2025
Openers: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad
CSK may keep Devon Conway-Ruturaj Gaikwad as their opening combination due to their strong partnership in the last IPL 2023 season. Together, they scored 849 runs in 15 matches, including fifty-plus scores and two century-stands. Conway, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter from New Zealand has so far scored 924 runs from just 23 matches. Ruturaj, who will lead CSK in IPL 2025, scored 2380 runs in his 66 IPL matches.
