Ajay Jadeja, a former cricketer for India, thinks that the three players Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would definitely hold onto before the IPL 2025 big auction are MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja believes these three are crucial to CSK’s intentions since the auction regulations let clubs keep up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players (both Indian and foreign) and two uncapped players.

Given his history and leadership at CSK, MS Dhoni is an obvious pick, while Ruturaj Gaikwad has established himself as the team’s dependable top-order batsman. With his versatility, Ravindra Jadeja is yet another invaluable member of the team.

“MS Dhoni, without a doubt. That much is certain, particularly given that he is now an uncapped player. Having contributed much to the team, he doesn’t want to be regarded as the best player. There is no doubting his worth.”

“You’ll want to keep the captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, as well. He’s had a strong year. These three, in my opinion, are ideal for them because Ravindra Jadeja can’t be left out either,” Jadeja said on JioCinema.

The five-time IPL winner CSK is expected to benefit from the Right to Match card (RTM), according to former Indian batter Aakash Chopra.

“It’s unlikely that they’ll hold onto five players. They may attempt 3–4. I believe that Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja are two players worth 18 CR. You have to match that price if you want to retain them. They also have Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, and MS Dhoni.”

“I believe they will retain Dube and, based on Deepak Chahar’s condition, maybe utilize the RTM card. These players are quite expensive; therefore, using the RTM card might help you get them at a lower cost. Dube may get in much more than 10 or 11 crores if he is sold at auction.”

Examining the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s possible auction plan, Chopra speculates that the team may decide to part with current captain Faf du Plessis. “I don’t believe they can hang onto their skipper. It has to do with his age, not his skill. When discussing a massive auction, consider the following three seasons.”

“It’s unclear to me if Faf will stick with this franchise for the whole three years, and I don’t believe it’s probable. Although he plays a lot of cricket, he isn’t doing well in the CPL at the moment. Every excellent story has a conclusion.

Jadeja nevertheless believes that RCB would exercise caution in terms of their IPL 2025 retentions.

“Just like Dhoni, Virat Kohli doesn’t even need to be discussed. Because of Rajat Patidar’s flair and his part in RCB’s comeback, I like him. The future belongs to him. Anuj Rawat, who has performed well with Patidar, is in the 4 CR bracket.”

Wicketkeeper-batsmen are very hard to come by, particularly in good condition. Regarding foreign players, I believe they like switching up players and styles annually. They will probably keep two or three players in total.

“I think the choice to keep Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal would be very personal. There’s a possibility Dayal is chosen ahead of Siraj if the backend stays the same. If not, the newly appointed management will consider beginning over. Thus, I believe that fewer players will be kept as a result of the RTM,” he said.