One of the IPL's most successful franchises, Chennai Super Kings endured a difficult season in 2024 as they failed to qualify for the playoffs following a loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their final league match.

The core of their squad remains largely the same as the one which lifted the IPL trophy in 2023, but some of their elder statesmen might be coming to the end of their time with the team.

How should they look to split their retentions and RTM cards?

First, a refresher on the retention rules.

• Teams can keep up to six players through a combination of retentions and RTM cards. If they retain five, they will have one RTM card. If they retain four, they will have two RTM cards, and so on.
• A maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped players can be retained. There is no restriction on the number of Indian/overseas players teams can keep hold of.
• The first three retention slots are priced at salary slabs of Rs 18 crore, 14 crore and 11 crore respectively. The fourth and fifth slots are worth Rs 18 crore and 14 crore respectively. Uncapped players will be retained at Rs 4 crore.
• Any Indian player without a central contract in the last five years, or who has not been named in an international playing XI for five years, will count as an uncapped player.

Should CSK keep hold of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja?

On the face of it, the final retention rule listed here is made more or less exclusively for Dhoni, and it is almost inevitable that he will be retained by CSK as an uncapped player.

But with the mega-auction, CSK have the chance to start afresh. Ruturaj Gaikwad already took over the captaincy last year, and Dhoni's value as a player is starting to dwindle. He does give CSK a wicketkeeper and a finisher, but these pros might be offset by the fact that since last season, he has appeared unable (or unwilling) to bat more than three overs. A retention may just be worth it at Rs 4 crore, but it would perhaps healthier to make a clean break of things now.

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Jadeja impressed in flashes last season, but it may be time for CSK to move on from him as well. His bowling in the shortest format remains effective, and he can produce the odd impactful innings but has struggled a touch with injury of late. By no means is he a must-retain. CSK can use an RTM card on him if the financials work out.

Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur all fall in a similar category to Jadeja, although perhaps a tier below, in that CSK do not lose out massively by letting them go, and can be brought back at the right price point.

Who should CSK retain?

As far as building a long-term core goes, the retention focus should be on players in their peak (or approaching it), or younger players who have shown promise.

For CSK, the first category possibly consists of players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Mustafizur Rahman, Mitchell Santner and Tushar Deshpande. The second would contain the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, and other uncapped players like Avanish Aravelly, Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Sameer Rizvi.

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Like most teams, CSK would want to retain their captain for continuity, if nothing else. It is therefore a fairly straightforward decision to allot the first 18 crore retention slot to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Indeed, Gaikwad is unlikely to fetch this price in an auction but combine the continuity in leadership and his familiarity with the setup, and it is not an exorbitant overpay.

The 14 crore slot is a more tricky proposition. Devon Conway would have been an automatic choice after 2023, but his missing the 2024 season through injury, and his poor form across the board do not make him an automatic pick here. He is also unlikely to be bought by any other franchise at this price point.

Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube are the other candidates here. Ravindra helps CSK set in place an opening combination alongside Gaikwad, or the ability to drop down to No.3. His ability to contribute left-arm spin is also not something many other top-order batters have. Dube has been outstanding in yellow in a specialised spin-hitting role, and should probably be among the top retention candidates too.

Therefore, CSK could use the 14 crore and 11 crore slots on Ravindra and Dube, in whichever order emerges after negotiations with the players.

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There is little debate that the five-time champions should keep hold of Sri Lankan youngster Matheesha Pathirana. His death-bowling exploits at a young age are highly promising and like Gaikwad, it may be an overpay to keep him at 18 crore, the fourth retention slot. However, there is the possibility that he would be a high-value target in the auction, making a release or RTM risky.

CSK's fifth capped retention, for 14 crore, could well go unused. Not many of their remaining squad members are likely to fetch such a price. Instead, they could look to retain an uncapped player. In reality, this slot will almost surely be Dhoni's but a better use of the slot might be on Simarjeet Singh as a strong Indian pace bowling option.

The other option open to them here is to use only four retention slots, and instead attempt to use both available RTM cards on Devon Conway and Ravindra Jadeja.

The final verdict

CSK's retention order should possibly look something like this:

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