The former Indian off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh, who has also been part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the past Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, has predicted the probable retentions for the franchise before the 2025 edition of the event. The biggest speculation for the moment is if their former captain, MS Dhoni, would be part of the new season.
The IPL Governing Council (GC) announced the rules for the retentions of the players, where they mentioned that the first and fourth retained player for the ten franchises will take INR 18 crores each from their purse, while the second and fourth player will cut INR 14 crores each. The third player will take INR 11 crore for the retention.
In the change of the regulations for the tournament, they have changed the structure of the uncapped player. An Indian player who hasn’t been part of the national side for five seasons going into the respective edition of the event can be addressed as uncapped and will cost INR 4 crore.
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Harbhajan believes that the former World Cup-winning India captain, whose last game for the Blue Brigade came in July 2019, can come into this department for CSK. The wicket-keeper batter is also the fifth leading run-getter of the season, with 5243 runs in 200 innings at a strike rate of 137.53.
Harbhajan Singh picks Rachin Ravindra and Matheesha Pathirana for CSK retention
However, the future of the captain is yet to be decided, as he is going to meet the owners and management of the franchise on October 30. They can go with the RTM cards if they want.
“I am not certain if Dhoni will play or not, but if he’s available, he would certainly be the team’s first choice for retention, even if he is considered an uncapped player this season.” The veteran off-spinner was addressed during an interaction on Star Sports.
The CSK captain for the last season, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was the highest run-getter of the franchise in 2024 with 583 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of over 140, is expected to be the first pick in the retention. The Maharashtra captain, in the last two to three seasons of the event, has done well for the Super Kings.
Harbhajan has also kept the premier spin all-rounder of the Blue Brigade, Ravindra Jadeja, for the next season, as he has been a vital performer for the franchise for such a long time. The left-arm spinner, however, struggled for CSK in 2024 with only eight scalps in 14 innings.
“Following him (Dhoni), the next pick would be Ravindra Jadeja, then Rachin Ravindra. As for the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, he would also be a definite retention.” The renowned commentator expressed.
Ravindra, the left-handed New Zealand batter, smashed 222 runs in ten innings for the CSK side in 2024 at a strike rate of over 160. Jadeja also batted for 267 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of over 140.
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“I believe these four players will be retained. Besides them, we could also see Pathirana, who is an excellent bowler, kept in the squad. And if an uncapped player is retained, there could be a surprise choice, but CSK may only retain five players. So. in my view, the likely retentions are MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Pathirana.” Harbhajan Singh concluded.
The Sri Lankan bowler picked up 13 wickets last season in just six innings before getting injured and leaving the tournament. The deadline for the teams to submit their retentions is October 31.