Chennai Super Kings are likely to release four senior players from the squad. As per a report in mykhel, the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Shardul Thakur and Kedar Jadhav are in line to be released. The franchise will have to make an official announcement regarding it on or before November 14.
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Starting from Rayudu, the report does come as a surprise as the senior batsman was the star-performer for Men in Yellow in their title triumph in IPL 2018. With 602 runs in 16 matches, Rayudu just didn’t help CSK win the title but he also earned a recall to the ODI squad for the tour of England. Although his form dipped in 2019 and he managed 282 runs in 17 matches, which saw him miss out on a place in the squad for World Cup.
Vijay, the second player who is in line to be released, isn’t a regular in the playing XI. The presence of Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis at the top saw Vijay play two matches this year while in 2018, he got just one opportunity.
Coming to Jadhav, the India all-rounder underperformed in IPL 2019 and scored 162 runs off 169 deliveries. He has had his fitness issues as well. He was bought by CSK for Rs 7.8 Crores, which is certainly on a high side. The franchise might buy him back in the auction if it wants him.
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The last player in the list is Karn Sharma, who joined the team before IPL 2018 for Rs 5 Crore. The presence of Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir have seen him play just seven matches in two seasons.
Looking at performances and price of these four players, there is a certainty that they might be released but CSK will surely look to buy back Rayudu, who was their star-performer in IPL 2018.
The auction for the next season of the league takes place on December 19 in Kolkata.