In a shocking development, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is no longer the sure retainer for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction.
This comes as a big surprise as Ravindra Jadeja has been a key player for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for over a decade and has delivered numerous match-winning performances.
Ravindra Jadeja joined Chennai Super Kings in 2012
Jadeja, who played a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ 2008 IPL triumph, was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings in the 2012 IPL player auction for $2 million, making him the player most expensive at that year’s auction.
The franchise retained him for the next few years and paid him handsomely. Jadeja was forced to shift base to Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 when CSK was suspended.
When the Chennai Super Kings returned to the league, Jadeja was signed for INR 7 crore, the salary he received until IPL 2021. Before the mega auction of the Indian Premier League 2022, he was the franchise’s number one retainer for INR 16 crores and the same amount has since been paid to him.
Ravindra Jadeja named CSK captain in IPL 2022
In 2022, MS Dhoni handed over the CSK captaincy to Jadeja just before the season, and the all-rounder was only the third person to be appointed as CSK captain after Dhoni and Suresh Raina.
Jadeja came under tremendous pressure after getting the leadership position and could not perform as a captain and an all-rounder. Midway through the season, Jadeja stepped down from the captaincy, Dhoni resumed the role and was ruled out of IPL 2022 with a rib injury.
There were rumors of a rift between Jadeja and CSK after the 2022 season, but things were patched up ahead of IPL 2023, and the all-rounder helped the franchise secure their fifth IPL title with his heroics in the final against the Gujarat Titans.
Ravindra Jadeja’s CSK future in danger despite past successes
As the deadline for submitting the list of retained and released players approaches (October 31), there have been several reports about possible retentions by CSK.
Most reports have suggested that CSK are planning to retain players like MS Dhoni (in the uncapped category), Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube and Devon Conway, with Jadeja being the main retention.
However, the latest report tells a different story. According to RevSportz, Jadeja is not a sure retainer for Chennai Super Kings and there is a possibility of him attending the mega auction.
Ravindra Jadeja no longer a sure retainer for Chennai Super Kings, says @yeshtometroYok100 in our live IPL
-Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) ohdotohbmyr 29, 2024
In case the CSK franchise decides not to retain Jadeja, they can still acquire him using the Right To Match option in the mega auction.
Overall, Jadeja scored 2053 runs for Chennai Super Kings and bagged 142 wickets. The 35-year-old recently retired from T20Is after a horrible T20 World Cup campaign in which he scored 35 runs and picked up just one wicket.