According to a latest report, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are yet to finalize their retention list ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. MS Dhoni will soon engage with top decision makers to finalize the retention list.
The Indian Premier League 2026 auction will reportedly be held between December 13-15 and the event is very likely to be held in India.
CSK preparing to release big names?
Recently, a report was published in Cricbuzz, which claimed that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is looking to release some big names from the team. It was mentioned that the five-time champions would let star players enter the auction with bigger purses.
The names of batsman Deepak Hooda, all-rounder Vijay Shankar, batsman Rahul Tripathi, all-rounder Sam Curran and opener Devon Conway were included in the release list of Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
However, the franchise was quick to share the cryptic post to shut down the report. CSK shared a post that read, “Don’t worry, we’ve updated the bio,” and their new bio reads, “Nothing’s official until you see it here.”
MS Dhoni, Stephen Fleming and Ruturaj Gaikwad will hold a meeting
According to the latest report of Cricbuzz, CSK has not even discussed internally regarding retaining and releasing players from the team. There will be a high-profile meeting between MS Dhoni, Stephen Fleming and Ruturaj Gaikwad to finalize the retention list.
Also, a CSK official has said that they are waiting for an update from the IPL Governing Council regarding the auction dates and submission of the list of retained players.
He further said that the final decision on cricket matters will be with N Srinivasan. Furthermore, Chennai Super Kings are unlikely to make any changes to their coaching staff as Srinivasan “doesn’t like to make cuts, and favors stability”.
“Look, we have not discussed it internally yet,” a CSK official told RevSportz. “MS has just returned from the US. Fleming is in New Zealand and the IPL has not even given a date regarding submission of the list of retained players. Fleming, MS and Ruturaj will hold a meeting to prepare the list. Then it will be taken to Mr Srinivasan for his approval.”
There are some left-arm spinners, but there is a shortage of off-spinners – CSK official
Ravichandran Ashwin has already announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League, adding Rs 9.75 crore to his purse. However, Chennai Super Kings will find it difficult to replace the experienced off-spinner and may look at overseas options.
“There are some left-arm spinners, but there is a dearth of off-spinners,” the official said. “We did our searching at the TNPL and junior level, there are some who bowl off-spin, but it is very difficult to get that quality. And in a mini-auction, it is very unlikely that you will get top quality. Franchises will hardly release top Indian players.”
Notably, Chennai Super Kings ended their Indian Premier League 2025 campaign at the tenth position in the points table. They won only four and lost 10 matches in the season and had a net run rate of -0.647. This was the first time that Chennai Super Kings finished at the bottom of the points table.
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